Child protection, discrimination and reporting obligations
Type
E-journal
Date
22 Nov 2016
Jurisdiction
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Taxonomy
Child Protection, Schools, Discrimination
Copyright
LexisNexis
Relevant company
Clyde & Co
Legal reference
Federal Law No. 2/2015, Federal Law No. 3/1987, Federal Law No. 3/2016
Analysis
In the past few months, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen the introduction of a Federal Child Rights Law and the subsequent release by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) of a new Child Protection Policy. We have also seen a steady number of complaints, and prosecutions, being brought under the Anti-Discrimination Law (introduced last year), the wide provisions of which could well extend, for example, to comments made between students and/or staff. This article explores the key implications of these developments for schools in the UAE.
Federal Law No. 3/2016 (Childs Right Law)
The Childs Right Law is aimed at protecting the rights of children across the UAE.
The Child Rights Law contains a section on "Educational Rights" which includes an obligation on the State to prohibit all kinds of violence in educational institutions and to preserve the dignity of children.
The Child Rights Law also refers to the State's obligation to develop specific and organised programs for reporting and filing complaints in order to ensure investigation of acts and irregularities violating educational rights "in the manner specified by the Executive Regulations".