April's From the Experts: Lori Frasier
This month, Lori Frasier, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Medical Director of the Medical Assessment at the Primary Children's Center for Safe and Healthy Families, and lead author of Abusive Head Trauma in Infants and Children provided a nice summary of her recent trip to Saudi Arabia for the Third ISPCAN Arab Conference on Child Protection. Please enjoy.
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"Working Together for a Safer Childhood" was the theme of March's Third ISPCAN Arab Conference on Child Abuse & Neglect. The conference brought 14 Arab countries together with 60 international, regional, and local speakers, as well as hundreds of attendees at the Riyadh Intercontinental Hotel. It was held under the patronage of King Abdullah, custodian of the two Holy Mosques, and under the auspices of the National Family Safety Program. ISPCAN cosponsored the conference. The King’s daughter, Princess Adela, attended and spoke on his behalf to advocate child protection and convey that it is a central tenet of Islamic law.
This, combined with the unique culture of Saudi Arabia, made for an amazing week of education, advocacy, networking, and new friendships. As an international guest, I was treated to the amazing Saudi hospitality. I was honored to be a participant in a preconference workshop on March 30 with my colleagues—Marcella Mian, MD (Weil Cornell Medical School in Doha, Qatar); Howard Dubowitz, MD (University of Maryland); and Dr. Kim Oates (University of Sydney)—on various topics and case presentations.
The opening ceremonies, which consisted of Saudi children garbed in traditional dress carrying Saudi Arabian flags, were absolutely amazing. Members of the royal family, ministers, senior government officials, and families alike attended the ceremony. For four days, various topics were presented ranging from physical and sexual abuse issues to neglect, child fatality review, mental health, legal, and social issues. One of the international representatives included Dr. Younghee Lee, the Chairman on the Convention for the Rights of the Child from the United Nations. Other pediatricians from around the world included Dr. Sue Bennett from Ottawa, who spoke about internet risks to children, and Dr. Bernadette Madrid from the Philippines, who discussed hospital-based child protection teams.
One particularly memorable highlight of the program involved high school students giving speeches as future ministers of health, education, and justice. During these discourses, the students projected their hopeful and inspiring visions of Saudi Arabia’s future of child protection. Another high point of the experience was an art contest for school children that was held in conjunction with the conference. More than 2300 portraits representing Safe Childhood, Child and Family, Child's Rights, and Child Abuse were received. Princess Adela presented the winners with special gifts and awards. Finally, as an unexpected pleasant treat, the women were invited to a Saudi home for a social gathering. A women’s only affair, the event was very special, as the women had the chance to shed their abayas and socialize like women anywhere while enjoying the delicious Middle Eastern cuisine. Princess Adela herself attended and greeted each guest personally and warmly.
The final experience of the conference, and a truly unique and special one, was the closing ceremony. School-age girls in beautiful costumes representing different Arabic countries (Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and more) danced and sang. This conference was a leap forward for Arab countries in developing open dialogue about both the problems and the solutions of child abuse and neglect. A special thanks goes to Dr. Maha Al-Muneef—Executive Director of the National Family Safety Program, pediatrician, visionary, and tireless advocate for children in the Kingdom—for organizing this conference. It was truly an honor to be a part of this experience.
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"Working Together for a Safer Childhood" was the theme of March's Third ISPCAN Arab Conference on Child Abuse & Neglect. The conference brought 14 Arab countries together with 60 international, regional, and local speakers, as well as hundreds of attendees at the Riyadh Intercontinental Hotel. It was held under the patronage of King Abdullah, custodian of the two Holy Mosques, and under the auspices of the National Family Safety Program. ISPCAN cosponsored the conference. The King’s daughter, Princess Adela, attended and spoke on his behalf to advocate child protection and convey that it is a central tenet of Islamic law.
This, combined with the unique culture of Saudi Arabia, made for an amazing week of education, advocacy, networking, and new friendships. As an international guest, I was treated to the amazing Saudi hospitality. I was honored to be a participant in a preconference workshop on March 30 with my colleagues—Marcella Mian, MD (Weil Cornell Medical School in Doha, Qatar); Howard Dubowitz, MD (University of Maryland); and Dr. Kim Oates (University of Sydney)—on various topics and case presentations.
The opening ceremonies, which consisted of Saudi children garbed in traditional dress carrying Saudi Arabian flags, were absolutely amazing. Members of the royal family, ministers, senior government officials, and families alike attended the ceremony. For four days, various topics were presented ranging from physical and sexual abuse issues to neglect, child fatality review, mental health, legal, and social issues. One of the international representatives included Dr. Younghee Lee, the Chairman on the Convention for the Rights of the Child from the United Nations. Other pediatricians from around the world included Dr. Sue Bennett from Ottawa, who spoke about internet risks to children, and Dr. Bernadette Madrid from the Philippines, who discussed hospital-based child protection teams.
One particularly memorable highlight of the program involved high school students giving speeches as future ministers of health, education, and justice. During these discourses, the students projected their hopeful and inspiring visions of Saudi Arabia’s future of child protection. Another high point of the experience was an art contest for school children that was held in conjunction with the conference. More than 2300 portraits representing Safe Childhood, Child and Family, Child's Rights, and Child Abuse were received. Princess Adela presented the winners with special gifts and awards. Finally, as an unexpected pleasant treat, the women were invited to a Saudi home for a social gathering. A women’s only affair, the event was very special, as the women had the chance to shed their abayas and socialize like women anywhere while enjoying the delicious Middle Eastern cuisine. Princess Adela herself attended and greeted each guest personally and warmly.
The final experience of the conference, and a truly unique and special one, was the closing ceremony. School-age girls in beautiful costumes representing different Arabic countries (Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and more) danced and sang. This conference was a leap forward for Arab countries in developing open dialogue about both the problems and the solutions of child abuse and neglect. A special thanks goes to Dr. Maha Al-Muneef—Executive Director of the National Family Safety Program, pediatrician, visionary, and tireless advocate for children in the Kingdom—for organizing this conference. It was truly an honor to be a part of this experience.
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