‘Children are Our Hope in Advocating Women’s Rights in Arab Communities’

Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, the third session of the 14th edition of Sharjah Children Council (SCC) will convene on Wednesday, October 19. 

Themed ‘Stronger with Her’, SCC's third session for 2015–2016 will be organised by the Sharjah Children Centres, on the sidelines of the ‘Investing in the Future’ (IIFMENA) Conference at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, Sharjah, UAE.

Attended by 69 members of the SCC, the session will host Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, and Her Excellency Khawla Abdul Rahman Al Mulla, Chairperson of the Sharjah Consultative Council, and CEO of Family Development Centre.

Citing personal examples, both Al Kaabi and Al Mulla will highlight how they utilised their creative intelligence and innovation in becoming influential members of society. Encouraging SCC members to draw from life experiences, the two veterans will throw light on how they can turn obstacles into springboards for success. 

A range of issues aimed at empowering girls and women in all walks of life will be at the centre of discussions, which will highlight the role Sharjah Children Centres has played over the years in furthering the cause of women’s emancipation through specific programmes and initiatives. 

Reem BinKaram, Director of Sharjah Children Centres said, “The third session of the SCC will underline how crucial it is to include young women in the development process of society. No community can reach its full potential without empowering its women from an early age, and making them equal stakeholders in society’s decision making processes. The session will aim to get across the all-important message that it is by establishing sustainable and innovative ways of empowering young women and their thought processes in various domains of life, which will help us achieve development in its true sense, and will benefit generations to come.”

“As they represent the real demographics of our society, we want to engage SCC's members in discussions about what they think should be girls’ and women’s role in society, and know their opinion on what they feel can be ways to empower the women in our society. This will help us come up with more workable and relatable plans for honing their skills and training them to become leaders of the future. We strive to know how the younger generation perceives the issue of women’s empowerment, what roles they see themselves playing in society, and their innovative approaches towards finding solutions that will contribute to advancing the status of women and raise awareness about gender equality in today’s world,” she added.

She noted that the underlying essence of the third session ‘Stronger with Her’ is in perfect harmony with the 14th Council’s theme, ‘We creatively innovate…Our UAE’, which is an open call to the younger generations to assume the lead of the nation’s drive towards incorporating innovation and creativity in the development process, grooming themselves to rise as inspirational leaders of a brighter future.