LOCA LWEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Ali Al-Obaidi saidthe State of Kuwait is keen on protecting chil-dren against all forms of violence out of commit-ment to the UN Convention on the Rights of theChild (UNCRC).

“Kuwait has been the first country to ratifythe UNCRC which was adopted by the UNGeneral Assembly on November 20, 1989,” hesaid Monday in his inaugural speech to the 4thRegional Conference on Child Protection againstViolence at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel.

“Last year Kuwait adopted a legislation on theright of the child which materialized the fruitfulcooperation between the country’s legislativeand executive authorities, and commitment tothe constitution and the international conven-tions,” he pointed out.

“This conference coincides with the HealthMinistry’s preparation for the launching of theplan for sustainable development through 2030which was adopted by the historic summit ofthe UN General Assembly last year. It reflects agreat insight into laying down a preventive poli-cy and a clear-cut roadmap vis-a-vis this seriousphenomenon while developing the nationaldevelopment plans,” Dr Al-Obaidi added.

Effective programsMeanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary of the

Ministry of Health for Legal Affairs Dr MahmoudAl-Abdulhadi urged continuous supervision tocurb the growth of the phenomenon of childabuse through effective programs and strate-gies. “The Ministry set up a higher committee in

2013 to oversee the interagency cooperation indetecting and documenting any infringementon the child rights and reporting to the compe-tent regional or international organizations,” hepointed out. Dr Al-Abdulhadi noted that it is acollective responsibility of a society to respondto any form of child abuse since this phenome-non impacts negatively on the comprehensivedevelopment plans.

Dr Mona Al-Khawari, chairperson of theorganizing committee of the conference, saidmeanwhile that the gathering is an excellentopportunity for professionals engaged in thechild protection to network with colleaguesfrom around the world for preventing any childabuse whether physical or psychological.

A survey, conducted recently by the Facultyof Medicine, shows that 22 percent of adults suf-fered from physical harm when young, eightpercent sustained stab wounds, 16 percent wereintimidated and 13 percent sexually harassed,she said.

The conference, which lasts until April 20, isco- organized by Kuwait National ChildProtection Program (KNCPP), the Arab Societyfor the Prevention Child Abuse and Neglect(Arab SPCAN) and the International Society forthe Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect(ISPCAN). — KUNA

Health Ministry opens conference

on child protection against violence

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Ali Al-Obaidispeaks at the 4th Regional Conference onChild Protection against Violence. — KUNA

Gulf Bank CSR program Wins

GUST’s Al-Shakoor Award

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank’s Corporate SocialResponsibility initiatives in the fields of cul-ture and education were recently recog-nized and lauded by Gulf University ofScience and Technology (GUST) through an“Al-Shakoor Lifetime Achievement Award”.The award, an initiative of the MassCommunications and Media Department,was presented at a special awards ceremo-ny at GUST and was received on behalf ofthe Bank by Laila Al-Qatami, AssistantGeneral Manager for CorporateCommunications, and Khaled Al-Otaibi,Assistant Manager for CorporateCommunications.

Al-Shakoor Awards recognize corpora-tions and organizations that have madesignificant contributions to Kuwaiti societyand have an outstanding corporate socialresponsibility (CSR) portfolio. Awards werepresented for CSR excellence in health,environment, culture and education, aswell as social welfare and charity. The inde-pendent judging panel included media fig-ures, community leaders, industry expertsand academics. Companies and organiza-tions are nominated and are required tosubmit data to the independent judgingpanel. Information required included 10years of information on: the types ofevents, the benefits for the community, andthe impact on the community. The judgesthen evaluated the submissions based on:the impact and scope of the program’s suc-cess; the methods, solutions and leadership

of the programs and initiatives; the innova-tion of the initiative; sustainability; integri-ty; and expenditures in terms of time, mon-ey, and staff engagement.

Gulf Bank’s CSR program is committedto initiatives and events that benefit thecommunity. Over the past year, the Bankhas sponsored events focusing on youth;education; health and fitness; helping theunderprivileged; women’s empowerment;as well as promoting Kuwait’s heritage andculture.

Gulf Bank has a strong track record ofsupporting numerous educational and cul-tural activities. The bank’s educational initia-tives include ongoing support for INJAZKuwait, providing a large number ofemployee volunteers, and consistentlymaintaining its position as lead sponsor.Gulf Bank was also a platinum sponsor ofthis year ’s National Union of KuwaitiStudents (NUKS) conference in the USA, anda sponsor of the Tamkeen YouthEmpowerment Symposium, a Kuwaiti initia-tive delivered by young people to the youthof Kuwait. In addition, the bank sponsoredthe ‘Jahazeen 2’ training and developmentprogram, which was held in cooperationwith Kuwaiti’s Manpower and GovernmentRestructuring Program (MGRP).

Cultural activities the bank has support-ed include sponsoring Kuwait University’second annual ‘Against Violence...WithTolerance’ forum on which was organizedby Kuwait University’s College of SocialSciences, in cooperation with Women’sResearch and Studies Center and Ministryof Interior. The bank has also sponsoredthe 27th Memorial Journey for Pearl Diving,Gulf Bank has sponsored this event for as akey part of its long-term commitment topreserving the heritage and continuing thetraditions of Kuwait’s unique past.

To learn more about Gulf Bank’s initia-tives, or any of its products and services,visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches; call theCustomer Contact Center on 1805805, orlog on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’sbilingual website.

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: A two-page petition was formallysubmitted to the Commission on Elections(Comelec) in Manila calling the agency toinclude the names of more than 275 Filipinovoters whose names were not included in theofficial list of certified voters in Kuwait.Comelec has the official list of certified voters

at the Philippine Embassy as prescribed bylaw, and if names of voters are not included inthe list, they will not be allowed to vote. ThePhilippine presidential elections started forFilipinos abroad on April 9, one month beforethe May 9 elections in the Philippines. Filipinooverseas voters are allowed to vote for presi-dent, vice-president, senators and party rep-resentatives.

The two-page petition was submitted tothe Comelec in Manila bearing the names of

275 people signed by Philippine ConsulGeneral to Kuwait Raul Dado. Dado fearedvoters whose names are not on the certifiedlist could multiply in the coming days, asFilipinos have till May 9 to vote. “The voting isnot yet over, and we already have this hugenumber of voter complaints. We expect thisnumber to multiply soon, so we have submit-ted the petition now,” he added.

The petitioners claimed they were official-ly registered as voters but their names werenot on the official list. Dado wrote a letterwith the names of the petitioners to ComelecChairman Andres Bautista. “We registered atthe Philippine Embassy in Kuwait for theoverseas voting of 2016, but we could notvote because our names were not included inthe certified list of voters, notwithstandingthat most of us have registration receipts andComelec IDs,” the petition letter stated.

The first petition to Comelec was sent toManila last week with names of 140 people.The initial reply of the Comelec was that mostof the 140 petitioners either had no recordsor their names were deactivated. OverseasAbsentee Voters who fail to vote twice or intwo consecutive Philippine elections areautomatically deactivated by Comelec. Onlyeight petitioners regained their right to vote.

“We are hoping to retrieve more names ofvoters and Comelec is helping us in this mat-ter. So, while there is still time, I would like toappeal to every Filipino voter in Kuwait tocome early, so if there are similar problems,we can still find a solution and retrieve yournames,” Dado noted.

275 Filipinos unable to vote

Philippine Consul General to KuwaitRaul Dado

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunicationscompany in Kuwait, announced its sponsorshipand participation in the American University ofthe Middle East’s Career Fair for the year 2016,held in the main campus in Egaila. The event isorganized by AUM’s Tawteen CareerDevelopment and Recruitment center.

Zain was present at the job fair, which served alarge number of students majoring in variousbusiness and engineering studies. The company

highlighted to visiting students and graduates theavailable job vacancies in the company, in addi-tion to providing a detailed explanation of thenature of work at various departments and divi-sions. Zain’s team also took the opportunity toanswer any questions and inquiries visitors had.

Zain showcased its keenness participating incareer fairs as part of its Human Resources strate-gy, which closely focuses on supporting the edu-cational sector hand in hand with various univer-

sities, colleges, and educational institutions inKuwait to provide students and graduates withcareer opportunities in the private sector.

Zain is committed to playing an active rolein the investment in the human capital ofKuwait. The company seeks to provide youngand eager Kuwaitis with suitable job opportu-nities that allow them to apply their practicalskills, achieve their potential, and fully developtheir capabilities.

Zain sponsors AUM Career Fair 2016