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Saudi Arabia Launches National Family Guidance Strategy

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi awards first professional licenses for family counseling (Saudi Human Resources)
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi awards first professional licenses for family counseling (Saudi Human Resources)
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Saudi Arabia Launches National Family Guidance Strategy

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi awards first professional licenses for family counseling (Saudi Human Resources)
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi awards first professional licenses for family counseling (Saudi Human Resources)

Saudi Arabia has introduced a new National Family Guidance Strategy to help families deal with modern challenges and strengthen family bonds.
At a ceremony in Riyadh on Sunday, the first professional licenses for family counselors were awarded.
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi said the strategy aims to use family counseling to improve life balance and address challenges effectively.
Speaking at “Family Forum 2024,” he explained that the strategy aims to set a global standard for family guidance, with a focus on professional and innovative services.
The development process involved over 1,200 hours of work, including 12 workshops with input from more than 13 different organizations.
The National Family Guidance Strategy features over 12 initiatives to support family and community needs.
It aims to boost the skills of family counselors, provide them with training, and raise awareness about the benefits of family guidance in improving relationships and resolving conflicts.
At the launch event, the first professional licenses for family counselors were given out. The Ministry plans to issue licenses to 500 counselors in 2024 and to grow the number of family counselors to 4,000 by 2030.
Al-Rajhi reported that 31% of Saudis spend eight hours a week playing video games, highlighting a problem with family isolation. He noted that Saudi families face various challenges affecting their unity in a rapidly changing world.
The government is actively supporting families to help them fulfill their roles and raise children with strong values.
The minister also acknowledged a shortfall in family counseling services. He stressed that parenting is a major challenge due to factors like ideological influences and social media.
Many family issues could be addressed with professional counseling.
Currently, Saudi Arabia has 98 family counseling centers, but only about 14% of Saudis use these services. The Ministry of Human Resources plans to expand the number of centers to 197 by 2027.

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Poland Marks 85th Anniversary of Nazi Germany’s Invasion at Start of World War II

People lay a wreath at the monument to the 1939 heroic defense of the Westerplatte peninsula outpost during solemn observances of the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, at Westerplatte, on the Baltic Sea, Poland, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP)
People lay a wreath at the monument to the 1939 heroic defense of the Westerplatte peninsula outpost during solemn observances of the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, at Westerplatte, on the Baltic Sea, Poland, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP)
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Poland Marks 85th Anniversary of Nazi Germany’s Invasion at Start of World War II

People lay a wreath at the monument to the 1939 heroic defense of the Westerplatte peninsula outpost during solemn observances of the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, at Westerplatte, on the Baltic Sea, Poland, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP)
People lay a wreath at the monument to the 1939 heroic defense of the Westerplatte peninsula outpost during solemn observances of the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, at Westerplatte, on the Baltic Sea, Poland, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP)

Poland's leaders stressed the need for a strong defense in the face of war in neighboring Ukraine and redress as they led solemn ceremonies early Sunday to mark the 85th anniversary of German Nazi forces invading and bombing Polish territory at the start of World War II.

Sirens wailed and a memorial bell tolled as President Andrzej Duda and deputy ambassador of Germany, Robert Rohde, attended an observance in the town of Wielun, the first civilian target of German bombing in the small hours of Sept. 1, 1939. Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack which witnesses say began at 4:40 a.m.

"We can say that we have forgiven even though we remember, even though the pain is persisting and even though there are still tens of thousands of those who have been directly hurt by the Germans," Duda said. He also called on Berlin to make amends.

Meanwhile, at a monument on the Baltic Sea's Westerplatte peninsula, where a military outpost was shelled by a German warship just minutes after Wielun was attacked, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz laid wreaths and attended a memorial roll call for fallen soldiers. At the time, the outpost's outnumbered troops fought for seven days before surrendering to the Germans, becoming a symbol of heroism and patriotism.

Tusk said war was present again in the region as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, grinds on.

He said, in a clear reference to Germany, it wasn't enough to speak about "reconciliation" or to "bend your head in a sense of guilt," adding that the best sign of lessons learned from the past is "the readiness to organize the entire western world, Europe and NATO for the defense against aggression that we are witnessing today in the battlefields of Ukraine."

"Today we will not say ‘Neven Again.’ Today we must say ‘Never Again Alone’," the prime minister said.

Tusk also said Poland was building "the most modern army in Europe, one of the strongest in Europe" to actively contribute to the unity and strength of the NATO defense alliance and the European continent and "to defend our civilization" and "never again expose our homeland to any risks."

In more than five years of World War II and brutal German occupation, Poland lost 6 million citizens or a sixth of its population, of which 3 million were Jewish. The country also suffered huge losses to its infrastructure, industry and agriculture.

Poland's previous right-wing government demanded $1.3 trillion in damages from Germany. Tusk's current Cabinet has toned the demand down to some form of compensation that could serve to strengthen the ties between the two neighbors. Germany insists the matter is closed as it had paid damages to the Moscow-led East Bloc after the war. Warsaw says it did not get any share of it.

Addressing attendees at the Wielun observance, the Polish president said: "Forgiveness and the admission of guilt is one thing, but compensation for the damage caused is another thing. And this issue has not been settled yet."