Pulse of Society demands women's institutions unified platform

Participants called for the development of an online platform that would include these institutions: the Women's Protection Centre, Sharjah Family Development, the Sharjah Police’s Prevention and Community Protection Department, Sharjah Family Court, NAMA Women Advancement at the Sharjah Police, and the Sharjah Public Prosecution. The goal is to deliver exemplary services, outcomes, and solutions to address complex issues such as empowerment, positive community engagement, psychological and legal support services for affected women, rehabilitation and social empowerment programmes, raising awareness of women's rights and protection, and forming partnerships with relevant entities to strengthen the system for safeguarding women from violence.

Maryam Ismail, Director of the Women's Protection Centre, provided an overview of the centre, established by Executive Council Resolution No. (22) of 2011. The centre specialises in safeguarding women who have experienced all forms of assault. It offers comprehensive services to ensure their safety, including shelter, social, psychological, and legal counselling, as well as rehabilitation to support their reintegration into society.

The centre's mission is to offer social, psychological, and legal support to women who have faced violence, with the aim of reintegrating them into society and helping them lead dignified and independent lives. These services are delivered by specialists following best practices and standards within the Emirate of Sharjah.

The centre's vision is "From Protection to Empowerment," striving to be a leading example in empowering women, ensuring their safety and dignity, and contributing to the creation of a society free from all forms of violence and discrimination. This society is characterised by justice, equality, and equal opportunities, and upholds values of justice, dignity, and empowerment.

Centre objectives

The centre aims to increase women's awareness of their rights, empower them to live independently and with dignity, eliminate all forms of violence against them, protect their rights, and offer developmental, rehabilitative, and therapeutic programmes. These initiatives seek to empower women, raise awareness of women's issues, and expand their opportunities for self-reliance through vocational training. The centre also provides social, professional, and psychological rehabilitation for women and girls affected by violence, supporting their reintegration into society.

Services

The services include shelter for individuals who meet specific criteria: being a citizen of the Emirate of Sharjah, aged 18-59, free from contagious and infectious diseases, and having experienced verbal, physical, economic, or other forms of violence. Witness protection is also available, along with aftercare (empowerment) and daytime accommodation. Additionally, social services address all the needs of its members, support them in resolving family issues, and aid their reintegration.

Rehabilitative services focus on helping abused women through psychological, social, health, academic, vocational, and religious support, ultimately reintegrating them into their families and communities. The centre provides health services through direct monitoring of residents' health by an attending physician and nurse, along with the provision of appropriate treatment.

To be admitted, residents must be referred by an official authority in the United Arab Emirates and must be citizens of the Emirate of Sharjah. A social investigation must verify the resident's need for accommodation, her lack of social care, or her requirement for protection, and confirm that she has no family member to care for or protect her.

Medical Clinic

The centre offers a comprehensive health programme under case management to monitor residents' psychological and physical well-being. This includes regular check-ups, daily measurements of blood pressure, blood sugar, and temperature performed by a nurse in a fully equipped nursing room. The room contains medical equipment for administering first aid, a medical bed, a thermometer, a scale, and a vital signs monitor. The nurse dispenses necessary medications as prescribed by the attending physician, sources medications from the nursing home's pharmacy (affiliated with the department) or external hospitals, monitors the receipt and dispensing of medications, supervises their administration, and collects and delivers laboratory samples. Furthermore, the centre oversees self-care services, schedules medical appointments, monitors healthy nutrition, and develops suitable nutritional programmes for those who need them.