Balloony festival seeks to lift child protection in Kingdom to new heights

AMMAN — The National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) and UNICEF have launched the second edition of the Adventures of Looney Balloony festival, aimed at raising awareness on violence against children by promoting positive parenting methods. 

The family festival includes broadcasting a cartoon series on positive parenting via social media platforms, with education and family counselling experts responding to parents’ inquiries through the UNICEF Facebook page, according to a joint statement on Tuesday.

This family festival is part of a campaign devised by the NCFA and UNICEF in 2017 to increase awareness about the dangers of violence through a series of events involving children and adults in Jordan that reinforce the values of communication and positive parenting among all members of the family, the statement said.

Part of the national strategy to end violence against children in Jordan, the festival, launched in 2018, presented a series of educational and entertainment activities targetting all ages, sharing parenting messages via unconventional media such as an interactive play, storytellers and cartoon characters, as well as a photo exhibition.

The festival, attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania last year, travelled to the northern, central and southern parts of the Kingdom, drawing over 40,000 visitors, according to the statement.

The NCFA and UNICEF organised the festival in consultation with children and adults from different segments of Jordanian society. Focusing on positive dialogue and child-rearing approaches, the festival featured eight cartoon characters to introduce children, their parents, and caregivers to the tools and skills needed for healthy child development.

Each of the eight characters represented a positive skill that parents can utilise when dealing with their children. The skills include communicating, practising patience, showing love, listening, encouraging, role-modelling and understanding the nuances of child development, the statement said.

The activities of the three-year national strategy endorsed by the Ministers of Health, Education and Awqaf, as well as the director of the Public Security Department, aim to reduce physical violence against children by the year 2022, the statement added.

It highlighted key issues related to children’s rights and modern parenting programmes, including national systems, policies and agendas and the role of parents in providing a safe and sound environment for their children, in addition to discussing solutions for the main challenges families face in dealing with their sons and daughters.