Amman - Jordan Media Institute (JMI) has organized a seminar entitled “The Role of Community Initiatives in Protecting Children from Violence” in Aqaba to discuss various ways aimed at enhancing child protection.
The event is held in cooperation with UNICEF as part of “Enhancing the Quality of Media Coverage of Child Protection from Violence Issues” project and “My Color, My Balloon” activities.
Participants discussed the abuse of parental power, which leads to more violence among children. They also discussed the role of talent development in curbing violent behavior among children.
“Nurturing children’s talents means that these children will put their energies and passion into a specific interest, which helps them become less aggressive with their peers,” explained head of Talent Beyond Boundaries Society Mai Qatamin.
She added that the society has attracted around 110 children and helped them unlock their talents, a factor that helped these children have healthier family relations.
Najwa Hirzalla, head of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, gave participants tips on dealing with children in a non-violent way.
She also spoke about raising and managing “violent kids”, and how violent punishment should be replaced with dialogue and the use of body language. Hirzallah, who is also a mental health and education expert, stressed the importance of boosting children’s self-esteem and self-worth.
The expert also noted that parents need to monitor their kids when they use social media. Participants also raised questions on how to deal with bullied and shy children. The seminar was facilitated by Akeed’s Editor Aya Khawaldeh.
Three earlier seminars aimed at increasing public awareness on child protection issues were held in Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid in cooperation with UNICEF.