As the Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Child Help Lines, Aman Center presides the regional meeting during its participation in the international Organization Conference in Zanzibar, Tanzania between 5-7 Novembers.

Dr. Mansour Al-Saadi Al –Yafei, Executive Director of Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center (AMAN) presides the meeting of the representatives of the countries of the region (members of the Organization) who attended the conference, including: Palestine, Libya, Jordan, Sudan, United Arab of Emirates and Qatar. Representatives of other members, including Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, were unable to attend.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and exchange insights and experiences learned on the mechanisms of the work of hotlines in the countries of the region and the most important additions and improvements that can be made to those lines in order to maximize the benefit from them, this meeting coincides with the passing of the first year of the election of AMAN as the Regional Representative of the Organization. The meeting also reviewed the most important problems faced by hotlines in the countries of the Region, especially in the areas of war, conflict and crisis such as Yemen, Syria and Palestine, and the possibility of supporting the region by hotlines in those countries as children are the most affected by these wars and crises. The meeting also discussed hotline action plans for the countries of the Region through the period of 2020 to 2023.

Dr. Mansour Saadi Al-Yafei: Children in the Middle East are the most affected by wars and crises

Dr. Mansour Saadi Al-Yafei, Executive Director of Aman Center, said that the children of the Middle East region are the most affected by wars and crises. He also appealed to Member States to discuss the situation of children in war and conflict areas, especially the children of Yemen, Syria and Palestine. He also discussed the problems faced by children in the Gulf countries as a result of the siege of the State of Qatar and the inability to communicate with their families as a result of this siege and shredding the social status of the family members. He stressed that the Middle East region, which includes thirteen countries, is full of conflicts and crises, whether direct or indirect, which requires searching how to find the necessary protection for these children.

Launch of a joint electronic platform for the Member States' lines.

The launch of a joint electronic platform for member lines to facilitate communication between those lines, to provide further protection of the data recorded through the hotlines with an aim to create a framework model for that platform which may be launched in early 2020, and to be available for this system Governance standards and adequate safeguards for system maintenance according to a rational financial and administrative business model. The proposed platform will help to increase the effectiveness of Member States' hotlines, and also contribute to more effective and new technological opportunities, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, and discover new insights to improve child helpline services more effectively.

Hosting the International Conference of Child Help Lines 2020

It is expected to host the ninth International Conference of the Organization, which is scheduled to be held in 2020 in cooperation with a number of partners, where the conference will focus on discussing mechanisms for the protection of children in areas of conflict and war, and documenting experiences and best practices in the lines of Member States, and this is the second time to host Qatar this conference as the first conference was in 2012.

About Aman Center as Regional Representative

Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center (Aman), affiliated to Qatar Foundation for Social Work, won the position of Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa in the elections witnessed by the organization last November after Dr. Mansour Al-Saadi Al-Yafei presented the experience of the hotline in Aman Center (919), which receives annually nearly twenty thousand calls in cooperation with the Government Communication Center at the Ministry of Communications, and presented its vision to develop hotlines and provide access applications and reporting cases of abuse against children such as the application “Help Me" for children, and the application of “Shawrini" for girls and women.

About CHI

Child Helpline International Organization (CHI), was established in 2003 and it's headquarter in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The organization has a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and works in partnership with UNICEF with 181 hotlines in 147 countries and 164 branches, the Child Help Line is the front line of the war on child abuse. The organization lines receive annually more than twenty million calls from children and young people who need protection and care.

About the Middle East and North Africa Region

Include 18 hotlines from 13 countries between full membership in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Sharjah and Yemen, and associate membership in Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon and Syria.  Aman is the regional representative in a four-year cycle from 2018-2022 according to elections held in Canada 2018.​