The Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF) participated in the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which was held on November 7 and 8, 2024 in Bogotá, Colombia.

The event was attended by many personalities, ministers, officials of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations from various countries of the world.

The conference looks forward to government delegations agreeing on a new global declaration aimed at protecting children from all forms of violence, exploitation and abuse.

Qatar delegation was headed by Assistant Undersecretary for Social Development Affairs at MSDF Fahad Mohammed Al Khayarin.

Speaking at the event, Al Khayarin stressed Qatar’s commitment to protecting children from violence in all its forms.

He said that Qatar is one of the first countries to fulfill all its obligations related to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the core of which is ensuring and protecting the rights of the child.

Al Khayarin noted that protecting children from all forms of violence is essentially a precautionary measure based on developing and implementing strategic preventive measures that aim to create safe environments for children to live in their small families, communities and homelands free from conflict, violence and humanitarian crises.

He also stressed the success of Qatar through coordination between governmental and non-governmental in education, health, social affairs, police, and justice sectors to protect children, which contributed to creating a safe environment for children, by adopting a comprehensive protection system for children. 

Al Khayarin said that the Ministry of Social Development and Family provides child protection services through its departments and institutions at Qatar Foundation for Social Work. 

He said that the Ministry supervises a number of programmes and initiatives to protect children and provide them with a safe environment, such as the Shafallah Center, which provides care and protection for children with disabilities, and Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center ‘Aman’ which works to protect children from violence and neglect.

Al Khayarin said that the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) also monitors violations and submits periodic reports on the status of children's rights to the relevant authorities.

The Ministry of Interior participates in protecting children through qualified individuals and committees specialized in protecting children in the criminal field. 

The Ministry of Justice works to ensure the activation of laws related to children’s rights and update them to keep pace with developments and international human rights standards.

At the end of his speech, Al Khayarin stressed that Qatar supports all regional and international efforts to enhance the protection of children and has strong partnerships with the United Nations, its specialized bodies, and regional and international organizations in protecting children's rights.

He said that this is in addition to supporting all initiatives to ensure the most comprehensive protection for children in all over the world.