- Dar Al Hanan:
- My Childhood is Safe Initiative:
- Listen to Me Initiative
- Tell me about them Initiative
- I protect myself Initiative:
- Masirah Charity Team
The Sultanate of Oman represented by the OHRC celebrated International Human Rights Day under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said, the Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
In his speech at the beginning of the celebration, the Honorable Sheikh/ Abdullah bin Shuwain Al Hosny, Chairman of the OHRC said that the celebration held on the occasion of International Human Rights Day which falls on the tenth of December every year draws attention and appreciation to the foundations, principles and goals set by the United Nations to safeguard and maintain human rights all over the world. On this occasion, the OHRC renews its commitment and care to work with those principles and international mechanisms based on the provisions of our true religion and the foundations of national legislation and laws that safeguard human rights and preserve their interests in our beloved country the Sultanate of Oman.
The OHRC Chairman added that this year witnessed the most important event for the OHRC which is the issuance of the Royal Decree No. (57/2022) that granted the Commission broader competencies and more comprehensive responsibilities summarized in full independence of the Commission in practicing its works and carrying out its responsibilities, adopting the election process instead of appointment for choosing the Chairman and his Deputy and preventing the members representing the government authorities from voting on the decisions of the Commission. The Commission may establish its branches in the governorates. The term of membership shall be four years coinciding with the term of Oman Council and renewable for one term.
The Chairman also said that during this year the OHRC was very active locally and abroad. It received more than 272 humanitarian issues from citizens and residents and provided them with the legal opinion and directed them to the competent authorities to take necessary actions in their regard. The OHRC also received and monitored seventy-four communications where it interfered with the competent authorities so that they were appropriately solved. More than fifteen Lectures were conducted to introduce the OHRC, and its goals and responsibilities.
Moreover, awareness lectures on child neglect were conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development and through the Omani Women’s Association. The lectures achieved great success and interaction so similar lectures will be conducted in all governorates soon with God’s help.
Within the same framework, the OHRC is worked on coordinating and cooperating with civil society institutions by participating in preparing national independent reports that are submitted to international organizations in addition to making recommendations and observations related to them to the competent authorities.
Furthermore, last June, the OHRC organized a seminar on (The Role of national Mechanisms in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights) to enhance cooperation and coordination with the competent authorities in the government and society in general. In addition, a workshop was organized in September on the International Conventions against Torture, Protection from Enforced Disappearance and the UN International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The workshop was attended and lectured by a delegation from the UN High Commissioner’s Office for Human Rights under the chairmanship of HE Mohamed Enasour, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Section at the UN High Commissioner Office.
At the external level, the Chairman explained that more than (seven international reports) were answered by government and non-governmental organizations through which the Commission illustrated all facts and topics that were questioned by those organizations about human rights issues in the Sultanate of Oman. The annual report of the OHRC including the recommendations will be submitted to His Majesty the Sultan. The report will also be published at the end of the year with Allah’s will.
About the issues of childhood neglect and abuse, the OHRC Chairman said that: through receiving complaints or means of monitoring during the last period, the OHRC followed up on the issue of neglect in general and children neglect in particular. He expressed fear that those deplorable practices will turn into a phenomenon that bears ominous consequences. In this regard, the OHRC noticed the increasing statistics and figures issued by the competent authorities as the deaths resulting from child neglect during the past three years reached more than (seventy-seven) cases including drowning cases, forgetting the children in buses or cars, or by crossing the valleys during their flowing which lead to losing precious human lives.
He added that we realize and appreciate the huge efforts exerted by the competent authorities to face this problem, however, these efforts should be redoubled to eliminate these dangers and abuses by strictly applying related the articles of the law, raising awareness to protect innocent lives that we lose because of neglect or failure to follow caution with believing in Allah’s will and destiny. For extending the support provided by the competent authorities and encouraging more humanitarian initiatives, today, the OHRC is honoring six humanitarian initiatives that make appreciated efforts within the framework of humanitarian action in general and safeguarding the rights of the child in particular.
The Honorable Sheikh, the Chairman of the OHRC thanked all concerned government authorities, and concerned civil society institutions for their continuous cooperation and responses with the OHRC within the framework of supporting the joint efforts for serving and protecting human rights.
During the celebration, a film was displayed to introduce the efforts of government authorities, civil society institutions and the OHRC to promote the rights of the child in the Sultanate of Oman. in addition, a theatrical performance was presented to discuss the issue of neglect in general and child neglect in particular. It will shed light on part of these deplorable practices of negligence including the recklessness of the father and his risk to cross the valley ducts without paying attention to the weather conditions and alerts issued by the competent authorities and without taking care against the dangers that may lead the family to death.
Six humanitarian initiatives all over the Sultanate of Oman were honored for contributing to humanitarian actions to serve human rights in general and the rights of the child in particular. They are:
