The Official launch of the Be-Free program:
The official launch of the Be-Free program by Mary Robinson; the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations’ office in Manama, Bahrain. The year 2002 also marked the official launch of the Be-Free website; a web based educational portal aimed at protecting children from abuse.
The official launch of the “Search for Fatima” campaign:
The official launch of the “Search for Fatima” campaign with the purpose of finding the missing Bahraini child “Fatima Tawfeeq Ebrahim”; the campaign was later recognized as the biggest and most far-reaching search campaign in the history of the GCC region. The campaign successfully transformed the matter of child protection from its initial standing as a family matter to a public opinion and a societal concern. The program adopted the case of Fatima’s disappearance who was confirmed to have suffered severe emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her caregivers. The program engaged the King of Bahrain H.M. Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Prime Minister H.H. Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in an effort to escalate and motivate both the media and the concerned officials to take ownership of the case.
Awareness through Radio and Television:
Recognizable efforts were made towards spreading awareness on the topic of child protection through Radio and Television. The Be-Free program operated a series of weekly radio sessions that were on air for nine successive years. Among other things; the broadcasted programs promoted children’s strong personality.
The commencement of the “I am a Strong, Smart and Safe Child” workshop series:
The Be-Free program conducted a series of workshops under the themes “I am a Strong, Smart and Safe Child” for children and “I Detect Abusive Relationships” for youth. The mentioned workshops were introduced in Be-Free’s first year and were attended by over 10,000 child and youth until end of year 2011.
The official launch of the Be-Free website:
The launch of a website aimed at parents and caregivers with the intent of spreading awareness on the topic of child abuse in addition to addressing possible constructive roles by caregivers in this regard. It is worth noting that the website was launched in the Arab Child’s Day.
The commencement of the strategic training of the Be-Free team:
The commencement of a strategic, consistent and high quality training of the Be-Free team that is conducted both in-house through hosting international trainers and in countries recognized in the field of child protection such as the UK and Canada.
Open dialogue sessions between youth and their caregivers:
The Be-Free program arranged for a number of open dialogue sessions to be held between youth and their caregivers in an effort to enhance mutual understanding and bridge the gap. The sessions promoted the culture of dialogue and effective communication within the family.
