Queen Paola attends ICMEC meeting in Cairo

Invited by Mrs. Mubarak, Queen Paola of Belgium attended the meeting of the Honorary Board of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in Cairo on 19 February 2009. In her speech, the Queen emphasised that children all over the world are in need, but that the only way to help them is to mobilize the community. “Please save the innocence of our children”, she implored her audience.

She also talked about her recent visit to Brussels Airport, when she followed the track of unaccompanied foreign minors who come to Belgium to ask for asylum. “For every youngster who does arrive here, how many would get lost along the way, victims of sexual or commercial exploitation, or criminal networks?” she asked. The last group of children she talked about were those who are kidnapped by one of their parents, and thus deprived of having contact with both their parents. The Queen also mentioned Child Focus and its cooperation with national and international police forces in the battle against the exploitation of children. The Queen is Honorary President of Child Focus since 2002.

See more pictures from Belga here.

Filed under Belgium
Tagged Children, Egypt, Queen Paola of Belgium, Working Visit.

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