WAM Dubai, 6th June 2012 (WAM) -- Mariam Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, said today that legislators at her ministry were working diligently to accelerate drafting of the federal legislation on child protection.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered drafting a federal law on child protection to ensure a secure and stable future for children in the UAE.

'' The draft law is in its final phases,''Al Roumi said, adding that in-depth studies and discussions were conducted with stakeholders (ministries of interior, health, and education) regarding its articles and other relevant chapters.

''The proposed bill is mainly derived from the Convention on the Rights of the Child which the UAE ratified in 1996.

The bill spells out the basic health, social, cultural and educational rights of children and sets out mechanisms, measures and penalties for protection of these rights.

The bill will toughen punitive measures against abusers and torturers of children.

WAM/TF