A Round Table Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: The panorama of childhood in our country does not lead to contentment or reassurance, neither to the present nor to the future

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held a round table entitled “Protective Policies for Childhood Dignity”, on Thursday 28 December 2023, with the participation of expert speakers from various fields and with the attendance of guests, specialists and interested people in the topic at hand, who participated at the headquarters of the MECC’s General Secretariat in Beirut, or online via Zoom.

The seminar was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page, and included two sessions and segments for discussions. It started with an opening and welcoming speech addressed by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, in which she stressed the necessity of protecting children, preserving their rights and dignity, especially since many of them are exposed to all kinds of violations as a result of the crises we are passing through.

Then, the seminar began with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, under the title “Childhood, Dignity, and Challenges for the Future,” in which he mentioned that the goal of the social capital and human dignity rehabilitation constitutes an essential part of the Middle East Council of Churches’ orientations. He also added, “We cannot say, despite all the efforts made, that the childhood protection available in our societies is sufficient and will take the child to the safe shore of adulthood, without being exposed to various types of crises, problems, or difficulties, or all of them together... What was achieved, steady and effective, became a goal that we are trying to return to, or to some of it...”

He continued, "The panorama of childhood in our country does not lead to contentment or reassurance, neither to the present nor to the future. Whenever activists and stakeholders in the field of childhood are active in accomplishing what protects it and secures a better future for it - at the micro level - transformations come at the macro level and overthrow all what was accomplished, at the stroke of a pen, figuratively speaking."

Dr. Michel Abs ended, “This is the twentieth seminar that we are holding on human dignity, and it is the sixth seminar on childhood, and it culminates the five seminars on childhood that preceded it. All of this is part of a more comprehensive program that aims, among other things, to produce an indicator for dignity in our country that can be used to evaluate the state of dignity that, and dare I say, sums up, all social indicators.”

Afterwards, the first session started under the title “Protective Policies for Newborns and Street Children”, and was moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh. During the session, Professor Bassima Roumani, coordinator of the legal department related to juvenile issues at Himaya Association, spoke about “Child Protection Between Judiciary’s Role and Civil Society Organizations in Lebanon.” Mrs. Fatima Aardat, Director of the Child Protection Program at the Terre des Hommes Organization, also touched on the topic of “Addressing the Complex Challenges Faced by Children Working on the Street.”

As well as, Dr. Raja Selim, Professor and Researcher in Political Science, spoke about “Protective Policy for Homeless Children in Egypt.” Dr. Riad Arar, National Advisor for Family Strengthening at Children’s Villages/ Palestine, highlighted “The Protection System for Palestinian Children in the Colonial and National Contexts.”

Following the break, the second session began under the title “Protection Policy to Reduce Child Labour, School Dropout and Violence Against Children”, and was moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh. During the session, Dr. Elie Mikhael, Professor at the Lebanese University and Advisor to the Ministry of Education, spoke about “Educational Policies for Prevention, Intervention, and Reintegration of Dropped-out Children.” Mrs. Nazha Challita, Head of the Anti-Child Labor Unit at the Lebanese Ministry of Labor, highlighted “The Role of the Ministry of Labor in Protecting Children from Hazardous Work and its Worst Forms.”

In addition, Dr. Yasser Kalzi, Member of the National Committee for Child Protection in Syria, talked about the issue of “Strategies to Protect Children in Syria During the Crisis.” Dr. Haifa Salam, Professor and Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University, also presented the topic of “The Effectiveness of Social Policies in Lebanon to Reduce Child Labor.” As well as, Mrs. Rita Karam, Secretary General of the Higher Council for Childhood, spoke about “Protecting Children Through National Policies in Lebanon.”

It is worth mentioning that this seminar is part of the series of monthly seminars launched by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”.