The New Monthly Webinar Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: child is the gift of the Creator and the continuation of life, and is a grace from God so that we must treat them well

*You can find some photos below the text.*

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) pursues its series of monthly seminars, and held a new webinar entitled “Street Children and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 30 November 2023, with the participation of specialists, academicians, universities’ students and interested attendees in the topic at hand. Noting that this webinar comes within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

The webinar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook Page, included three interventions, moderated by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil who denounced in his opening speech the phenomenon of street children, highlighting their suffering and the social dangers resulting from this scourge. Dr. Abi Khalil also paid tribute to the souls of the martyrs of Gaza and the martyred children.

The webinar began with a speech by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, in which he also condemned the phenomenon of street children, pointing out that children and the streets are not compatible with each other. He said that a child is not born to work and live on the street, and this phenomenon contradicts the concept of human dignity.

Speech of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, at the webinar

Dr. Abs continued stressing that the child is the gift of the Creator and the continuation of life, and is a grace from God so that we must treat them well, adding that the lives of street children become devoid of purpose and stability. Hence, Dr. Abs said that this phenomenon constitutes a defect in the social and economic structure, and it is necessary to address the roots of this scourge. Therefore, according to Dr. Abs, it is important for international efforts and concerned parties to join forces towards formulating the necessary policies and following up on the implementation of legislation that protects the rights and lives of children.

Afterwards, the first intervention started under the title “Response and Intervention in the Issue of Child Labor, Especially Street Children,” with Ms. Cherine Mahmoud Rais Al Mina, Leader of the Child Protection/ Gender-Based Violence Team at the “Terre Des Hommes” Organization - Lausanne. In her intervention, Ms. Cherine spoke about the importance of field response in order to protect children, highlighting the mission of the “Terre Des Hommes” organization and the programs it implements, in addition to the challenges they face, stressing the organization’s goal of trying to build sound foundations with children in order to protect them from life’s dangers.

The second intervention was entitled “Homeless Street Chidden and Innocence that Is Forcefully Stolen Due the Cruelty of Life”, with Dr. Jamil Halim Habib, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Caritas - Egypt. In his intervention, Dr. Jamil highlighted the work of Caritas and the role it plays in serving homeless children, based on the association’s basic principles based on love and dignity for the poor and marginalized. He also spoke about the importance of studying children’s cases in order to resolve it, as well as raising awareness about it.

The third intervention was entitled “Street Children between Reality and Aspirations”, with Prof. Dr. Hiba Makram Sharobim, Senator and Professor of Contemporary British and American Literature at Alexandria University. In her intervention, Prof. Dr. Hiba shared with the audience her experiences with the phenomenon of street children in Egypt, shedding light on the work of the Coptic Church and the Al Azhar Foundation in providing counseling courses for the people who are preparing to get married, about to get married. She also stressed the role of the media in following up on street children.

The symposium ended with a question and discussion session among the participants, where they exchanged opinions and experiences, each according to his specialty and field of work.

This webinar is part of the series of monthly seminars launched by MECC, within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”.