Almost half of sexual assault crimes in Dubai are committed against children, leading lawyers to call for harsher sentences for offenders, while experts say sex education would help youngsters know how report abuse.
In the past four years, Dubai Criminal Court has heard almost 500 sex assaults cases, of which the victims were children in 240 of them.
Dr Fawzia Al Suwaidi, who holds a PhD in child psychology, said that children who are abused suffer from nightmares, sleep problems, isolation, mood swings and a lack of self-esteem. Their school results and social skills may also suffer.
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“Parents must educate their children about this topic and communicate with them more often to create a base of trust, enabling the child to inform his parents any incident,” she said.
Yousef Al Bahar, a lawyer from Al Bahar Advocates and Legal Consultants, called for a change in the law so that those convicted of sex assaults against children receive longer sentences.
He also said that in most cases he’d seen in court, the children involved were not aware of their bodies and did not have a healthy form of dialogue with their families.
“Most of these kids were lured by lies such as you are like my daughter or son and I touch you like I touch my daughter or son,” Mr Al Bahar said.
“If we teach our kids what the areas of their bodies that are off-limits are, they would be able to defend themselves in such situations and they won’t hesitate to tell if there is something wrong.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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