Sharjah makes its buildings safer for children

The loss of any child is a tragedy of immeasurable proportions; the deaths of more than two dozen over the past four years is a call to immediate action when those children have fallen from the windows of high-rise buildings, a local newspaper said today in an editorial.

"Thankfully," the Gulf News said, "authorities in Sharjah have heard this call and have been working diligently, effectively and retroactively across the municipality to ensure that apartment windows are safe, that no more children will fall to their deaths, and that no more parents should face the depths of grief and guilt wondering if they could or should have seen the potential danger.

"Revising a building code is not an easy task, but it is a measure that is essential to ensure that all new buildings will not be fitted with windows that can be opened by the little hands of little children with enquiring minds and wonder for the world at large. Yes, Sharjah officials have done that and in many ways that is the easiest measure of many to eradicate this potential threat. But there are countless high-rise buildings that have been constructed, where the windows can indeed be opened, and where children can fall to their deaths in a moment of distraction.

"While building owners have been ordered to change locking mechanisms, enforcement measures and stiff penalties too go a long way in making sure these tragedies don’t happen again.

"But not all building owners or maintenance companies follow through on those new regulations. Sharjah municipal officials have gone one step further and are inspecting all high-rises to ensure windows are safe and secure. For that, every parent of young children should be grateful. Sharjah is determined that enough is enough and rightly so," the editorial concluded.