Summary of Conference Proceedings

Experts from seven Arab countries took part in a conference entitled “Violence Against Children in the  Arab World” which was held in Amman from 14^th to 20^th of April 2001 . Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan patronized the conference which was organized by Horizon Cultural Center for Research & Studies and funded by the European Commission. The participating countries were: Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen . Members of the delegations submitted 32 working papers that discussed the various issues of interest to children. It is noteworthy that the participants are specialized in disciplines pertinent to the child. There were specialists in law, medicine, psychological, social and health guidance, the media, religion, literature, art, education and other disciplines. This has bestowed on the discussions and the dialogue that took place throughout six days some kind of specialization and a sharp perception in tackling the issues of children.

The working papers were submitted by specialists and experts from seven Arab countries. The papers were given different titles that focused on children from all aspects of life. On the first session of the second day of the conference, Dr. Hani Jahshan of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled, “the forms and consequences of violence against children.” Lieutenant Colonel Fadil Al-Humud of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “the role of family protection in handling the question of violence.”

In the second session, Dr. Bernard Gerbeqa of Lebanon submitted a working paper entitled “violence against children in general.”  Ms. Nazili Al-Sharbini of Egypt submitted a working paper entitled “Children’s rights from the international point of view.”

In the third session of the third day, engineer Nabih Rayyal of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “Children’s rights from an international perspective and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.”  Attorney Asma Khader of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “The conditions of female child and the question of discrimination.”  Mr. Ghassan Khalil of Lebanon submitted a working paper entitled “the basic principles of the rights of the child and the need to introduce these principles to the school curricula.”  Mrs. Ilfat Saeed of Syria submitted a working paper entitled “the rights of the child from an international perspective” and Mrs. Hasibah Shneif of Yemen submitted a working paper entitled “the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Yemen.”

In the fifth session, Mrs. Najibah Haddad of Yemen submitted a working paper entitled “the rights of the child—realities and prospects in Yemen.”

In the sixth session of the fourth day, Mrs. Layla Al-Sa’igh of Jordan submitted a working entitled “the abuse of children—symptoms, forms and impact on the child.” Mrs. Najah Al-Sanusi of Egypt submitted a working paper entitled “A summary of the study of the factors of danger leading to the abuse of children in Jordan.” 

In the seventh session, Mrs. Rashidah Ali of Yemen submitted a working paper entitled “A general outlook: the economic and social reasons for child labor.” Ms. Nihayah Dabdoub of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “Coping with the problem of child labor in Jordan—proposed solutions.” In the eighth session, Mrs. Da’ad Salamah of Egypt submitted a working paper entitled “the phenomenon of child labor.”  Dr. Abd Al-Hamid Malkani of Syria submitted a working paper entitled “child labor…definition of the problem and how to cope with it.”

In the ninth session of the fifth day, Miss Amal Shamasinah of Palestine submitted a working paper entitled “study on the impact of the Intifadah on the Palestinian child.” Mrs. Basimah Hammad of Palestine submitted a working paper entitled “violence against children in Palestine in light of the Intifadah and the Israeli occupation”. In the tenth session, Ja’far  Al-Muhajir of Lebanon submitted a working paper entitled “the civil war in Lebanon in its capacity as violent action against children.” Mr. Mahmoud Al-Masri of Lebanon submitted a working paper entitled “violence against children – forms and places.”

In the eleventh session of the sixth day, Dr. Nabil El Sharif of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “the role of the media, the press and the Internet.”  Miss Silva Al-Bitar of Syria submitted a working paper entitled “violence in the media and in technology.” Mr. Muhammad Al-Dhahir of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “samples of violence in children’s books.”  Mrs. Sahar Abu Harb of Syria submitted a working paper entitled “the problem of violence from the historic perspective—beginning of violence and its practice.”

In the thirteenth session, Dr. Hamdi Murad of Jordan submitted a working paper entitled “family violence from an Islamic perspective.”  Abd Al-Ilah Ra’ouf of Iraq submitted a working paper entitled “children in the holy Qur’an.” Dr. Sabah Udamah of Iraq submitted a working paper entitled “the Arab-Islamic raising in encountering violence – a methodological outlook.”

In the fourteenth session of the seventh day,  Mr. Khalil Khaz’al of Iraq submitted a working paper entitled “the role of the educational institution in curbing the phenomenon of violence.” Mr. Jawad Abd Al-Husayn of Iraq submitted a working paper entitled “children and violence in the television programs.” Dr. Shafiq mahdi of Iraq submitted a working paper entitled “the violence of the siege and its impact on the teaching of children in Iraq.” Mr. Michel Badr of Lebanon submitted a working paper entitled “the role of the educational curricula in coping with violence.”

Five workshops were held during the conference. The participants in the workshops discussed the phenomenon of violence against children in an objective manner. They have also reached important recommendations which could curb this phenomenon from its various aspects in preparation for  its total elimination. This endeavor will be boosted by the fact that there is a growing sense of responsibility toward children in the Arab World with emphasis on the need to build a healthy generation that can successfully lead the future of the Arabs.

The Workshops:

Five workshops were held on the periphery of the conference entitled, “Towards a non-violent environment for Jordanian children”. All the participants in the conference and many people attending participated in these workshops. The working papers were discussed during these workshops, and recommendations were proposed. The recommendations were summarized later on. They constituted the recommendations that were issued by the conference. During the workshops, participants were divided into 6 working groups. Each group would discuss a specific topic and reach recommendations. These recommendations were proposed as the recommendations to be issued by the conference. *

The First Workshop

Chairman: Dr. Bernard Gerbeqa. Rapperture: Ms. Nazli Shirbini.

The first workshop was entitled, “the social and economic reasons for violence against children.”  The discussions that were made on this workshop were in the form of “brainstorming.” The workshop focused on the fact that poverty and unemployment are among the most important reasons that lead to violence against children, particularly that the reason for many of the crimes that are committed is the deterioration of the economic conditions.

Broken homes usually prompt the children to look for early employment in search of a way of living. This is where the child becomes the victim of many violence-based practices.  Moreover, in the Arab way of thinking, the old usually exercise control over the young; thereby, undermining the personality of the child because older people do not respect the unique aspects of childhood.

Participants in the workshop indicated that the educational standards of those in charge of the family could be viewed as a basic indicator whether the family is good or bad.  This necessarily reflects on the family attitude and includes per capita income, the provision of appropriate housing, clothes and food, as well as knowledge on how to treat children.

The number of children in the family, and whether they are many or few, directly affects the behavioral patterns of the head of the family and the children.

The spread of the phenomenon of drugs is tantamount to a mutual violence between the young and the old. Drug users, whether they are young or old, act in an irrational and non-human way, all the more so because sharp and harmful instruments are used against the children and by the children.

Early marriage of girls is viewed as a form of violence against children. The reason for the violence is the increased size of unemployment and the deterioration of the economic conditions.

The Second Workshop

Chairman: Ghassan Khalil. Rapperture: Ms. Ilfat Saeed.

The second workshop was held under the title, “the publication of the rights of the child—the mechanisms and the obstacles.”  The workshop primarily dealt with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. The workshop asserted that the rights of the child couldn’t be separated from the human rights in society. It also affirmed that laying down the foundation of child education is a basis for the further dissemination of the rights of the child in society. The workshop called for protecting the child against discrimination and violence and for taking the necessary measures to protect children against all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation.

 The workshop also asserted the need for educating the child on his rights so that he would claim these rights. It also affirmed the need for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against the child on the basis of nationality, religion, language, ethnic origin and color, etc.

The workshop focused on the right of the child to survival, growth, development, nourishment and education.  It also asserted the right of the child to express his views. It also called for introducing the subject of the rights of the child to the school curricula.

The third workshop

Chairman: Layla Saigh. Rapperture: Ms. Najat Sanousi.

The third workshop was entitled, “the programs of protecting the child against violence” in the family, in the places of work, in the school and in other institutions.

In the first case, the family is viewed as the basic cell and the first brick in building society. The family should provide the children with protection, health care, and means of survival, development, security and non-discrimination between males and females.

It is necessary to prepare programs for spreading awareness and counseling to the parents. These are pre-marriage educational, preventive programs based on the International Convention of the Rights of the Child. There is also a need to prepare other post marriage, remedial and counseling programs such as education on issues in which the child is a party.

There is also a need to spread awareness through the media and the educational curricula of the schools, colleges, and public and private universities and to use social and guidance centers and family and child centers to spread awareness and education for the family and the children.

The experiment of the management of family protection should be spread out to all the districts of Jordan.

In the second case, which is child labor, the workshop asserted that mere labor is tantamount to violence against children. It said children at an early age should be stopped from working.

It recommended that the life of the child should be safeguarded when his mother goes out to work. This should be done by opening nurseries in the work complexes and in the residential areas. It also recommended that the working age in the Arab region be raised to 18 years and that children of the age 15-18 could be engaged in vocational training to qualify them to work. The workshop noted that the Non-Government Organizations [NGO’s] are playing a role in resolving the problem of child labor, but are not resolving the whole problem entirely.

The workshop also noted that businessmen have another role to play in activating their enterprises and in refraining from employing children at these enterprises, thereby stopping the exploitation of the cheap child labor. It said that the government should watch and regulate inspection and control of all work units because child labor is often used in return for low wages for the purpose of achieving higher profits.

The third case is the school. The workshop called for the adjustment of the curricula in accordance with the mental and physical capabilities of the child and for introducing model schools as far as the buildings, furniture, playgrounds, facilities and others are concerned.

The workshop also dealt with the relationship between the child and the teacher. It recommended the formation of a joint committee consisting of the school, the parents, and the students. It also urged that medical doctors and psychologists be provided to the schools.      

The workshop also recommended that the school should be qualified to tackle any problem resulting from violence against children and that the material conditions of the teachers be improved. Teachers should also be educated socially and psychologically to deal with the child in a civilized way after shaping the personality of the child. 

It also recommended that rules and instructions be formulated for the classroom indicating the healthy methods by which each student should deal with his colleagues.

The workshop recommended that intensive school curricula are formulated and that students should participate in the dialogue and discussions as students should not be on the receiving end only. It also asserted that students should not be beaten in school and that a healthy atmosphere free of violence should be created at school. The needs and circumstances of students with special needs should be taken into consideration.

The fourth case is the alternative institutions, i.e. a second family of the child with a legal status. The aim of the alternative institution is to build the child on a healthy basis and to offer him complete care.

Among the forms of violence against children in these institutions are physical, psychological, sexual and verbal. It is also committed in the form of discriminating between one child and the other, negligence, and assault by children against one another in various forms.

The programs of these institutions should be comprehensive. In this respect, the workshop has recommended that the officials in charge of these institutions participate in the choice of the personnel employed by them. Moreover, a clear working plan and strategy should be drafted spelling out the alternative goals and programs of the institution and identifying the obstacles facing the work of the personnel of the institution. An open-door policy should be followed so as to integrate children in society and strengthen the role of the social workers and personnel working at the homes for the care of children. The media should highlight the role of these institutions. 

The Fourth Workshop

Chairman: Mahmoud Masri. Rapperture: Ms. Amal Shamasneh.

The fourth workshop was entitled, “the program for the rehabilitation of children who are the victims of conflicts” through education and educational curricula. International curricula should be drafted in a way that supports national curricula and reinforces its value. They should include unified curricula to which public and private schools and the various segments of society should comply with so as to reach a unified national educational curriculum.

The government should intervene to secure a certain percentage of the seats of each private school run by a board or a group of persons for the benefit of the children who are incapable of paying for the cost of their education.

The media and the cultural institutions should pay attention to the question of rehabilitation by asserting the need for social integration so as to achieve the goal of bolstering national unity and fostering national identity. They should also emphasize the significance of the exchange of expertise among the Arab states in this field so as to enrich political and social life in the Arab World.

The workshop has called on the Arab Education Ministers, through the Arab League, to coordinate and unify their efforts in the field of child rehabilitation. In the field of the rehabilitation of children who are victims of war, the workshop spelled out the types of physical, sexual, and educational violence and the types of institutions that should offer services. It said that the institutions that should offer services are rehabilitative, remedial and educational institutions.

The workshop also pointed out the kinds of programs, which should be offered by these institutions. It said these programs should include physical treatment and psychological and counseling services for the rehabilitation of children, and finally, vocational rehabilitation for the children of war.

The workshop recommended that institutions be created to offer these services and that the financial resources needed by these institutions are secured. It also recommended the training of the personnel who will supervise these institutions. It also recommended appealing to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in this regard.

The Fifth Workshop

Chairman: Mr. Hamdi Murad. Rapperture: AbdeIllah Ra’ouf.

The fifth workshop was entitled, “samples on how the media and literature deal with the phenomenon of violence against children.”  The Arab League and governments have called for the formation of media companies for children to create products that are free of violence. The aim was to confront the fierce onslaught by the foreign films, which contradict with Arab values, customs and traditions. The Arab League demanded the allocation of a special budget for Arab intellectuals and writers so as to devote their efforts for the production of programs with an intellectual content beamed to children.

The workshop has also recommended a review of the programs offered to children and the dissemination of children books in the Arab World through the setting up of book exhibitions, offering the needed support for this purpose, and facilitating the tasks of organizing these exhibitions. It also recommended the expansion of publication and marketing of children books in the Arab World as well as the expansion of the activities that are offered by the Arab countries. The workshop has also recommended the exemption of book exhibitions from customs duties and administrative restrictions.      

The workshop has also recommended that the views of the child be heard through the children books and that the private sector be attracted to invest in the production of child programs and books. It also recommended that attention be paid to the school programs and the education of children, to resolving disputes through peaceful means, and  to preparing dictionaries in the language of children  which the writers of children books can depend on. It also recommended the establishment of a shareholding company for the production of children-beamed films and media materials.

Among the recommendation by the workshop was one calling on the religious establishment to play a major role in reviving the values advocated by the divine religions, to practically apply the teachings of these divine religions, and to bring children’s views closer to people. The recommendation also called for resolving disputes by peaceful means and introducing special educational programs whereby the child would receive a religious education.  

In addition to these qualified personnel who represented the delegations of the Arab states participating in the conference, students from the various schools and various ages were effectively present throughout the days of the conference. They discussed and expressed their views and suggested remedies for the various types  of violence that is carried out against children. This has enriched the conference and made it look realistic and practical in dealing with the phenomenon of violence against children.

What made this conference distinguished and successful was that it tackled one of the cruel cases of violence exercised against Arab children. An Arab child came by himself to the Hussein Cultural Center where the  conference was convening and briefly explained his problem. The participants  listened to him attentively and all members of the participating delegations, students and the public interacted with his case. The authorities concerned were notified with the problem. The problem was that the child was stateless and had nothing to confirm that he was a citizen of any Arab country as if the big area of the Arab Homeland could not accommodate him. The competent Jordanian authorities are now handling the case and are working for resolving the problem. This has generated a new life in the child.

Objectivity, realism and a spirit of responsibility were prevalent during the works of the conference. The recommendations issued by the conference were comprehensive. Thus the conference can be fit to serve as a nucleus for building a joint Arab strategy aimed at combating the phenomenon of violence against children in the Arab Homeland. This nucleus should be  based on a healthy social and community foundations that can enable the new and energetic child to grow in a healthy and sound manner, free from the various social impediments and diseases.

The recommendations issued by the conference were comprehensive and rational. No obstacle can stand in the way of implementing these recommendations, provided that the proper mechanisms for implementation are devised first. The recommendations represented a systematic convergence of views. What is needed now is to find the executive instruments for the implementation of these recommendations, and this is the responsibility of the competent authorities in every Arab country.

The recommendations dealt with violence against children from all the social, health, educational, cultural,  artistic, legal, humanitarian, labor, media, psychological, physical, emotional and other aspects.  The recommendations did not absolve any institution in society, whether government or private, from its direct responsibility for combating the phenomenon of violence against the children of the Arab World.

The participants, students and the crowd also discussed the violence that is practiced against the children of Palestine as a consequence of the military, economic and political aggression which embraces all aspects of life. Israel is exercising this violence and aggression against the Palestinian people. The participants also discussed the violence that is being exercised against the children of Iraq as a consequence of the iniquitous sanctions that are imposed on the fraternal Iraqi people. The recommendations demanded that international protection be provided for the Palestinian children and that the iniquitous sanctions imposed on the children of Iraq  be lifted.

The participants were clearly sponsoring the concerns of the Arab child. They also displayed a national and Pan-Arab responsibility in discussing the phenomenon of violence against Arab children. They also stressed that remedial action is needed to tackle  this phenomenon until it is completely eliminated throughout the Arab World. All the participants have generously offered their resources, experiences and capabilities in order to remedy this phenomenon of violence and to create for the Arab children a clean Arab environment in which they can grow  and prosper.

Violence against children is an international phenomenon. This violence is practiced in all countries of the world. Therefore, the conference was eager to make its voice and the results of its works heard in all international conferences that are held on children particularly the conferences which discuss and remedy the phenomenon of violence against children.

Due to the participation of an Arab elite in its works, the conference has managed to expose the phenomenon of violence  which is threatening all children in every part of the world. The conference has also managed to suggest scientific solutions for the problems of violence. What is important is implementation and execution, because the question involves the backbone of society and the builders of the future. The task here is for the official bodies concerned and the decision makers in the Arab World to carry out.

The Media Coverage:

Local, Arab and regional television stations and the space satellites made an extensive coverage of the conference. There were television teams representing MBC,  ART, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, LBC, the Jordan Television and the Jordanian space channel. Moreover, local, Arab and international radio stations made a full coverage of the conference. One of the biggest achievements of the conference was that it explained the problem of the child Fawwaz Al-Ramahi who suffered a great deal while moving from one Arab country to another. 

Finally, he came to the conference and explained his problem. The conferees in turn expressed their thanks to the Horizon Cultural Center for its successful management of the conference. The conferees requested that an urgent cable be sent to Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdallah requesting her intervention in this humanitarian issue from which the child Fawwaz was suffering. At the end, he was granted the Jordanian citizenship and was given a Jordanian passport. The Arabic and English services of the BBC ran a documentary on the conference and the child.

Local, European and other foreign circles have commended the extensive media coverage of the conference by all the visible and audible media and the print media.

Please find enclosed clips from newspapers and magazines on the media coverage of the conference. Horizon Cultural Center for Research and Studies has an original copy on the BBC television coverage of the conference.

Major Achievement of the conference: Practical Solution:

It should be recalled that this conference was unique in the fact that many children (male and female) from different schools (private and government) participated every day. The conference also offered practical solutions for problems which children are suffering from. These solutions were proposed at the periphery of the conference. The problem of the child Fawwaz Shahab Idris Abduallah Al-Ramahi (16 years) who was exposed to all kind of violence ranging from family to local environment, detention and deportation. Who could not find any place in the world to live, Fawwaz had no personal documents or identity cards. For this reason, several Arab countries refused to receive him or grant him the right of residence on their territory.

This conference having been a platform for free speech and expression of opinion by children, adults and experts alike hosted Fawwaz to give his testimony.

Finally, the child Fawwaz arrived in Amman and submitted his problem to the conference. The conference sponsored his case and solved the problem of the child Fawwaz by hosting him upon his request, he gave his testimony. The conferees sent a cable to the Hashemite Royal Court on the hope of resolving his problem by granting him the Jordanian citizenship. And so it was. When Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdallah heard about the problem of the child Fawwaz, she instructed the competent authorities to look into the problem. Finally, the child Fawwaz was granted the Jordanian citizenship and became an ordinary citizen exercising the rights of citizenry and living a free life like all other citizens. This has left a very good impact on his attitude and behavior. And was one of the most important issues that drew the focus of local, Arab and international media. The BBC even ran a documentary on violence against children in the Arab world and also interviewed Fawwaz.

The Conference “Violence Against Children In The Arab World .”

Horizon  Cultural Center for  Research & Studies

Friday, 20 April 2001

Site of the Conference: The Hussein Cultural Center

Recommendations Committee:

Attorney Nazili El Sharbini, Egypt.

Dr. Abdul Hamid Malkani, Syria.

Mama Najibah Mahmud Haddad, Yemen.

Mahmoud Al-Masri, Lebanon.

Amal Shamasneh, Palestine.

Recommendations:

1. The participants would like to extend their profound thanks and gratitude for the sponsorship of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdallah of the conference held under the title, “Toward an environment free of violence against Arab Children.” The conference was organized by the Al-Ufuq Cultural Center for Studies and Research, which is headed by Mrs. Manal Abu Esheh El Sharif. The following are the recommendations adopted by the conference:
2. The participants in the conference recommend that a cable of thanks be sent to Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdallah.
3. The participants in the conference recommended that thanks be extended to Mrs. Manal El Sharif, director of the Al-Ufuq Cultural Center, Mr. Hamdan Al-Hajj and the executive working team, as well as the students of the participating schools.
4. The participants in the conference would like to pay tribute to the clear and absolutely transparent Jordanian initiative in encountering the phenomenon of violence against children. Jordan has built for this purpose a Department for Family Protection and a Safety Home in the capital city of Amman. The participants recommended that this experiment become common in all the districts of Jordan and in all Arab countries. They also recommended that a timetable be drawn up to eliminate the phenomenon of child labor.
5. The participants praised the Jordanian experiment which pays attention to the children at the early childhood age. They also commended the establishment of homes to protect children against violence and to accommodate children from broken homes. They called for spreading this experiment, which started in Amman, to all parts of Jordan and in the Arab countries.
6. The participants in the conference recommended that the states of the region, which did not as yet ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination Against Women, to ratify these two conventions through the appropriate mechanisms such as the parliament. They said that these states should comply nationally with these two conventions.
7. The participants in the conference called on the Arab states to ratify the convention on the Rights of the Child (Somalia).
8. The participants called on the states which ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child to implement the convention.
9. The conference recommended that the governments of the states of the region take the necessary steps to review their legislation to ascertain that it conforms with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
10. The conference asserted the importance of knowledge and awareness of the rights of children in general, particularly the need to combat child abuse and to do so through the legislative and executive authorities in all states of the region. The participants recommended that the necessary steps be taken to guide and train the parliamentarians and the judicial bodies as well as the security and police forces in the region’s countries to forestall violence against children.
11. The participants recommended the combat of violence directed against women and children in the media. They also recommended that the methods of teaching and school curricula be upgraded and that they should include positive values , such as the respect of the rights of children, the  respect of the rights of women and their status, and building the inherent strength to cope with the problems.
12. The participants recommended that this conference become a nucleus for a  joint Arab strategy on the combat of violence against children in the Arab World.
13. They also recommended that the Civil Status Law in every Arab country become an appropriate nursing mother holiday for the nursing mother.
14. The participants recommended the activation of the role of the religious institutions on the educational and awareness levels in combating violence against children.
15. The participants recommended that the school curricula be changed and that all forms of discrimination in these curricula be deleted.            
16. We demand the various states to endorse the agreement on the  elimination of all forms of discrimination against women,  to issue national laws to this effect, and to take all the measures that can contribute to the execution of the principles and rules contained in the convention.
17. Calling on the countries that have ratified the agreement to draw up child programs in their national development plans . Arab governments should also have programs specifically fixed in terms of time. They should comply with these programs in front of their peoples. These programs should aim at the elimination of the phenomenon of child labor through the implementation of these programs.
18. The exchange of expertise among the various Arab countries to benefit from the experiences of each country vis—vis the problem of the phenomenon of violence against children in its various forms.                                                                           
19. To introduce the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women to the school programs and curricula so as to spread awareness of these rights. These two conventions should also  be taught at the schools of law and sociology.
20. We recommend the teaching of these two conventions to teachers and to those who are caring for children  at maternity and child centers on the hope that the officials concerned would heed the children and discuss their problems.
21. The participants recommend that the various forms of the Arab media should start the scientific and objective  production of material that is capable of resolving the problems of the Arabs, whether individuals, families or children,  so as to cope with these problems and to draw up the scientific solutions for these problems.
22. Parents should  become aware of the meaning of violence in all its forms and damage.
23. To seek to make the court judge of the adolescents and civil status matters a woman rather than a man.
24. To strengthen the role of social workers and to teach them the two agreements.
25. To recommend to the competent sides active in the field of child care to promote these two conventions.
26. To support and assist the children of Iraq and Palestine morally and materially.
27. To spread the experiment of the “one semester” so as to absorb the dropouts from the educational system in rural areas in seasons other than the harvest season.
28. The civil society should pressure the governments to apply the law and to narrow the gap between the law in theory and its application, particularly as regards women and children.
29. To improve the educational buildings, particularly the buildings used as schools for children and to draw up a structural study for the shape of the modern school.
30. The participants demand that the encirclement imposed on Iraq be lifted . They also recommend that a cable be sent to the UN Secretary General and to the president of the UN Security Council to this effect. They also recommend that similar cables be sent to explain the suffering of the Palestinian people and their children.
31. The participants in the conference appeal to the Arab governments to initiate joint companies for the production of children films and programs that are free of violence. They also appeal to the Arab League to sponsor this idea.
32. We recommend that the states concerned support the publication of children books and open opportunities for the marketing of these books through customs exemptions. We also recommend the activation of the role of the private sector and the civil society  in this regard.
33. The participants recommend the civil societies and institutions to pay attention to the child culture programs in general.
34. The participants in the conference would like to draw attention to the importance of inoculating children against the six killer diseases at an early age of the life of the child.
35. The participants in the conference recommend the formation of special tribunals for the family and the child.
36. The participants in the conference recommend that awareness should be spread in the family, school and community of the provisions of the Conventions on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
37. We recommend that children with special needs be given better care and interest by the families and the concerned institutions. We also recommend that the state be urged to exempt from duties all their needed materials.
38. The participants in the conferences recommend the continued support of the free mandatory basic education.
39. The participants in the conference recommend that small projects be initiated for the support of poor families so that the children of these families would not be compelled to work. Moreover, the umbrella of comprehensive social security should embrace all the Arab countries.
40. The participants recommend that the problem of female dropouts from the educational system be tackled by supporting the families of these females and enacting firm laws to curb this phenomenon.
41. To introduce  technology to the educational curricula and to activate all forms of art education so as to discover the talented students.
42. The civil society should perform its role in creating an environment that is free from violence.
43. The role of the national institutions should be activated.
44. The participants in the conference recommend that these recommendations be sent to the Arab Council on Childhood.
45. The participants in the conference recommend that the recommendations of Palestinian researchers Amal Shamasinah and  the recommendations of the Palestinian children contained in her study on the “role of the Initifadah on the children of Palestine” be adopted by the conference.