May 16, 2022 – Doha, Qatar:

The Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center "AMAN", a center governed by the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, is organizing an international conference on child helplines on May 23 and 24, 2022, over two consecutive days at Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel – Al Sailiya Hall. This conference coincides with the International Day of Child Helplines, which is celebrated by the Child Helpline International on 17th May every year. The conference aims at mobilizing international and regional efforts for child helplines.

The strong interest and commitment of the State of Qatar, which is striving to actively contribute to achieving the relevant sustainable development goals, which are goals No. (9), (16) and (17) for “building infrastructure, promoting sustainability and fostering innovation", “striving for achieving safe and inclusive societies for sustainable development", and “Partnerships" through a strong commitment to international and regional partnership and cooperation, as well as striving to ensure that no child is exposed to violence, abuse or neglect in their homes, schools, societies, and on the Internet through governments and civic organizations forming a first line of defense for children at risk in obtaining the necessary social services and all other forms of protection, including the provision of high-level child helplines services.

The State of Qatar, through the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, represented by AMAN, seeks to coordinate policies and exchange experiences between the agencies that provide child helplines services, to achieve growth and sustainable development in order to improve access to technology and knowledge as an important means for exchanging ideas, promoting innovation and building more peaceful and prosperous societies, especially for children.

Regarding the initial details about the conference, Mr. Abdulaziz Al Ishaq, CEO of AMAN and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the International Conference on Child Helplines, said:

“The conference will discuss a number of themes such as the approach of “AMAN" in child protection, the experience of the hotline, the challenges of working in the field of child helplines at the international and regional levels, emergency response mechanisms to help children in political crises through international organizations, the role of child helplines in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and a review of the most important international and regional practices and experiences, laws, regulations, policies and other relevant topics.

He added, “the conference will be accompanied by a closed session for the preparatory consultative meeting for the Stockholm meeting of members of the MENA Regional Office of Child Helplines International, in addition to a set of parallel workshops addressing the methods of dealing with abuse in the school settings, mechanisms for reporting it and methods of creating child-oriented media campaigns, and, for the first time, the children will participate in discussing their own issues by submitting working papers and conducting the sessions".

Regarding the role and importance of this conference, Mr. Abdulaziz Al Ishaq, CEO of AMAN and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the International Conference on Child Helplines, said:

“This conference represents the first international and regional specialized meeting of its kind in the region for child helplines". It will be a turning point for the vision and mission of AMAN and the relevant authorities in promoting protection and social rehabilitation for children, guided by the best international and regional practices, and promoted by the efforts of AMAN in its prestigious position in the leadership of civil society organizations internationally and regionally in the field of child helplines.

He stressed that the conference will contribute to developing work in the field of child helplines and transferring the Qatari distinguished experience to the world. In addition, the conference will convey the efforts made to develop child helplines in the region and, with distinguished international, Arab and Gulf participations, it will enhance the exchange of experiences and information between the participating parties.

He indicated that the main objectives of the conference are to raise the awareness of the local and international community on the rights of the child and advocate them, support the international commitment to confront any violations against children, encourage the participating countries to establish child helplines, and build capacities in the Middle East and North Africa by being guided by the approach of AMAN.

He stated that approximately (25) speakers from Child Helpline International and a group of academics and experts from more than (30) entities will conduct discussions during a number of discussion sessions of the conference, training workshops and awareness seminars accompanying it, with participation of similar international organizations, the Ministry of Interior, the Public Prosecution and the Supreme Judiciary Council.

Al Ishaq concluded his statement by saying: “many radical changes have been made since the establishment of the Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center “AMAN" in 2002 in the child helplines services system. This calls for discussion and exchange of visions and experiences learned about the mechanisms of work of hotlines in the countries of the region, the most important additions and improvements that can be introduced to these lines to maximize the benefit from them, in addition to reviewing the most important issues facing the hotlines in the countries of the region, and the possibility of the region supporting the hotlines in countries where there are children affected by crises. In addition, the conference will also discuss the work plans of the hotlines in the countries of the region during the period from 2020 Until 2023, and will include a large space for the conference that will be held in the State of Qatar through the closed session for the preparatory consultative meeting for the Stockholm meeting of members of the MENA Regional Office of Child Helplines International.​