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Accidents, smoking most prevalent social issues

DUBAI - High rates of school dropouts, smoking and high costs of dowry are perceived among the top five most prevalent social issues in the UAE due to rapid urbanisation, according to a study published in the International Journal of Academic Research in March this year.

Road accidents and divorce have also been rated as issues affecting the social fabric of the country, with accidents taking the top slot followed by smoking.

Other social problems identified as only prevalent in the study included polygamy, work stress, arranged marriages, housemaid abuse, spinsterhood and unemployment, and were ranked in order as perceived by the UAE youth.

For the study conducted by Sofoh Hassane, Assistant Professor of Counsellor Education and Supervision, and Abdullah Seif Abdullah, Assistant Professor of Counselling at the UAE University, Al Ain, a total of 185 youth were selected from the university.

“The UAE is a rapidly developing country and as of now, it is about 81 per cent urban. As a result of this rapid urbanisation, technology, mass media, and mixture of cultures and belief systems, social problems are increasing among families, workplaces, communities, and schools. They are contributing factors to crime, school dropout, divorce, alcohol/drug abuse, road accidents, and unemployment,” the study found.

“Findings have indicated that accidents are perceived as the first most prevalent social problem that affects everyone in the society,” Prof Hassane told Khaleej Times.

“The increasing public concern for road accidents in the country calls for attention to introduce immediate measures to keep this problem under control.”

The study also suggested that smoking is the second most prevalent social problem in the country. Divorce was ranked the third most prevalent social problem followed by a high cost of dowry.

“The high cost of dowry requested by brides’ families is a big problem that keeps some young men away from marriage,” said Prof Hassane.

“Consequently, many men and women have to delay their marriages till they make sure they have enough money to provide for the dowry. As this problem influences the emotional well being of young individuals and birth rates, there is the need to consider it very carefully as it relates closely to the future of the nation.”

Dropping out of schools has been placed as the fifth major social problem in the UAE. “School dropout has an impact on the economy and the social structure of a country. Educators and policy makers need to work hard to find the causes and identify prevention strategies before it gets out of control.”

The study has also laid out basic guidelines for counsellors to develop relevant strategies and tackle the issues, said Prof Hassane. “More counsellors can be appointed in schools to develop and implement comprehensive school counselling programmes that can help reduce school dropout (rates) and other related social problems,” he said while giving an example.

Prof Hassane also suggested involvement of the larger community in developing public awareness of the causes and consequences of the problems and how to deal with them.

“There is a need for more counsellor education programmes in the country that will train more competent counsellors for the entire society,” he said.

The UAE is a multicultural society and, as such, the training of counsellors needs to emphasise on developing multicultural counselling competencies of future counsellors, he added.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com