The Protection and Social Rehabilitation Centre (Aman), a centre governed by the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, has signed a co-operation protocol with the Belgian child protection organisation (Child Focus).
The agreement was signed by Executive Director of Aman Abdulaziz al-Ishaq and CEO of Child Focus Heidi De Pauw.
The agreement aims to achieve the common goals of the two sides by creating a sustainable and practical framework between them to enhance the quality of services provided to children and to support the capabilities of regional and national partners through a sustainable programme based on providing the highest levels of care and social protection for children.
The agreement will be activated by organising events, activities and awareness campaigns, in addition to organising many training courses and workshops to serve the target groups of both sides, and striving to achieve continuous development in the field of protection and social rehabilitation by benefiting from studies and research related to children's issues.
Al-Ishaq stressed the importance of signing co-operation protocols with several international and regional organisations, noting that Aman's co-operation with the Belgian organisation will benefit both parties through the exchange of experiences, information and data related to workflow, in addition to the keenness of the two sides to achieve innovation and development in proposals for work mechanisms in the field of child social protection.
He explained that this co-operation will contribute to highlighting the role and services of Aman for the targeted groups of women and children, and victims of family breakdown from violence, by transferring the centre's experience in providing the necessary protection to reduce violence at the international and regional levels.
For her part, Heidi De Pauw expressed the importance of activating the international partnership with Qatar, especially with Aman, in which through the co-operation protocol, several events, awareness sessions and discussion sessions will be held on issues related to children.
She praised the level of services provided to children at Aman and stressed the need to benefit from this model at the international level.
Child Focus, established in 1998 at the initiative of the families of the victims, is an organisation that combats the phenomenon of disappearance and exploitation of children and calls on the population to honour the victims and to reiterate the support of the parents and relatives of the missing children.
On Oct 20, 1996, nearly 300,000 Belgian citizens took to the streets of the capital to demand better functioning of the judicial system, protection, care and support for these children.
Aman is concerned with the protection and rehabilitation of women and children who are victims of violence or family breakdown, and their integration into society.