An increasing number of Arab women are being blackmailed into paying money or having sexual relations with men who threaten to expose pictures of them taken from social networking websites.
Officials from the Ministry of Interior and social groups are calling for urgent legal reforms to protect victims from what they describe as a growing problem.
Photographs were the most common blackmail tool as they were more easily obtained through social media, officials warned.
While some blackmailers target women for money, others "thrive on emotional and psychological control", according to Dr Azhar Abuali, the care and rehabilitation director at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.
"There is also the type who seek revenge in response to being rejected by the girl, and whose objective is to dominate the victim and place her in a submissive and helpless state so that she will eventually accept his demands."
In interviews, several young Arab women said they had not reported sexual blackmail for fear of being "forced into an early marriage or not getting married altogether", being "harmed" by the blackmailer or their parents or "being grounded for life".
NA, 19, from Al Ain, has been blackmailed into unsafe sex for the past several months by a former boyfriend, who threatened to spread revealing images of her.
"I hate my life, there is no way to end this," she said. "We were together very briefly, and somehow he got pictures of me in a swimsuit - this is bad in my name and my family's, I never want my family to find out.
"I am scared most of the time, I would do anything to get my life back. I hate him," N A said.
Dr Abuali said girls should not be blamed in such cases.
"Blackmailing is a type of abuse and is a violent act that can have severe emotional and psychological impacts - especially if the victim feels that she is isolated and unable to ask for help," she said.
"Blackmailing is also unpredictable, as the victim may think it is over at one moment, and then the perpetrator may re-emerge again, leaving the girl in a state of constant fear and helplessness."
Blackmail, she added, can leave the girl suffering depression and anxiety.
"It is important not to underestimate the perpetrator," Dr Abuali said. "The longer the cycle remains, the more dangerous and aggressive the perpetrator can become, and the more the victim is at risk."
A common fear is that the circulation of revealing photographs could, in extreme cases, ruin a girl's chances of getting married because of the perceived stain on her family's honour. "For some girls, a picture of her wearing shorts and a vest top is bad enough, and even worse if it is next to a boy," NA said.
Last week, the father of an Emirati girl, who said she had been blackmailed, flew into an outburst in front of judges after he was told she was charged with consensual sex. He threatened to "kill" her, citing family honour.
In the absence of legal immunity, there are social support groups that can offer confidential help to victims in order to avoid either family retribution or criminal charges.
The Ministry of Interior's social support department, for example, provides victims of blackmail with assistance without the need to inform police or family.
The department has seen a steady increase in cases of sexual blackmail that uses revealing photographs taken from social media.
A ministry official, who did not wish to be named, said the department offered "complete confidentiality" for blackmail victims.
"If the victim, for example, is involved in a certain criminal act, we can not simply protect them, especially when there are other victims involved," the official said.
"In such cases, we would refer the case to the police. But if the person is a real victim and there is a necessity to go to the police, we would advise the victim and refer the case only with the victim's consent."
Generally, the department would focus on the needs of the victim, rather than the situation, the official said.
"But we have also
to keep in mind that some girls are not really victims and they would file a complaint for personal grudges," the official said. "So, the department would try to investigate the issue before making a move.
"Basically, the department deals in the same way with social issues like the police but with complete confidentiality.
"We urge victims of any crime, not only blackmail, to tell the department about their problems."
The police would intervene as an official body, the official said, by warning the perpetrator of the penalties they could face unless they stop.
However, another official, who also did not wish to be named, said there was a problem with a legal system that could allow a victim to be charged when reporting a crime.
"The whole issue lies with the public prosecution, they are the ones who charge a victim after they report an assault," the official said.
Khaled Abdultawaab, a public prosecutor at Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, said it was the prosecutors' job to investigate a case and see whether a person was involved in an offence, even if they had reported a crime.
"If it appears to us that the victim who reported the crime was actually involved in a criminal act, then we would surely charge them," he said.
What can victims do:
Call the Ministry of Interior's social support department on 8005354. The department promises complete confidentiality. Victims file a report and then meet a specialist, who will investigate the issue. If the specialist agrees the woman has been the victim of a crime, the department will advise on how to proceed. It could advise the victim to go to the police or try to persuade the blackmailer to stop.
Call the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children on 800111, or visit www.dfwac.ae. The foundation offers its own social and psychological support services, especially to child victims, ranging from individual to family therapy. It also refers victims to the appropriate official entities.
Call Al Ameen, the Dubai Police family unit, on 8004888, or email alameen@eim.ae. Aman, its counterpart in Abu Dhabi, is on 8002626. All calls and cases are dealt with in strict confidence.
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Result
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2
Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
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Classification from Tour de France after Stage 17
1. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 73:27:26"
2. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale-Drapac) 27"
3. Romain Bardet (France / AG2R La Mondiale)
4. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana Pro Team) 53"
5. Mikel Landa (Spain / Team Sky) 1:24"
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
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Rating: 2.5/5
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
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Habib El Qalb
Assi Al Hallani
(Rotana)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The specs
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Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4