Johannesburg - In all aspects of society, there are phenomenal women who are making a difference in the lives of those around them while also striving to new heights. This Women’s Month, The Saturday Star will be profiling some of the nation’s leading ladies.
Director of The Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children Shaheda Omar has dedicated her life to helping the nation’s in-need youngsters. As head of the specialised medical facility for children who have been abused or neglected and a training service for medical professionals working in the child protection field, Omar’s daily work is to improve the lives of children. This is as the organisation provides free holistic services to children and families affected by abuse.
Omar continuously tackles the government, holding those in power accountable as she soldiers on to fight the injustices perpetrated against children and their families.
Over the years at The Teddy Bear Clinic, she has earned the respect of government, civil society and communities who have seen the incredible effects of her interventions in alleviating the scourge of broken homes and broken societies.
Omar is also passionate about Gender-Based Violence (GBV), an issue which is rife in South Africa. She uses her platform to speak out on the issue which faces scores of women and children while Omar and her team work diligently to help GBV victims.
As the clinical director of The Teddy Bear Clinic for over a decade, Omar is also responsible for overseeing all clinical services and assessments. She also oversees the organisation’s networking, media liaison, advocacy, case conferences, training, and management of therapeutic staff.
The Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children was established in 1986 in direct response to an urgent need for medical examinations for sexually abused children. From there it has grown into a fully-fledged service for abused children. Some of its other services includes forensic medical examinations and assessments, counselling, psychological testing and more recently a diversion programme for youth sexual offenders.