An Indian man was arrested in Sharjah on Tuesday shortly after his distressed wife shared a video on social media claiming he had abused her.
In a desperate plea for help, mother-of-two, Jasmine Sultana, 33, posted the short video clip at 8.55pm, which showed her with a swollen, bloody eye. She claimed she was a victim of ongoing domestic abuse.
"[I require] urgent help...my name Jasmine Sultana and I live in Sharjah, UAE...my husband's name is Mohammed Khizar Ulla ....I have [been] assaulted badly by husband [and] I want help," a caption above the video on Twitter read.
With more than 90,000 retweets and thousands of comments, Sharjah Police were alerted of the situation and immediately responded to the case by reaching out to Ms Sultana.
"[Regarding the video] being shared on social media about an Asian woman who was exposed to violence by her husband in Sharjah...the case [has been] dealt with by the competent authorities," Sharjah Police tweeted.
A note of what is being shared through social media about the case of an Asian nationality women who was exposed to violence by her husband in the Emirate of Sharjah, the case was dealt with by the competent authorities.
— شرطة الشارقة (@ShjPolice) November 13, 2019
According to local media reports, the woman alleged that her husband had stolen valuable jewellery from her in the past and had confiscated her passport so she and her two sons, aged five and 17 months, could not leave the country. The husband is now in custody.
Following police intervention, Ms Sultana thanked the authorities for their help. Tagging the Indian Embassy in her tweet, she urged the public to continue supporting her so she can reunite with family back home in Bangalore, India.
"Sharjah Police thank you for the kind support...I require help and support until [me and my kids] reach my home country safely #IndianEmbassy."
A note of what is being shared through social media about the case of an Asian nationality women who was exposed to violence by her husband in the Emirate of Sharjah, the case was dealt with by the competent authorities.
— شرطة الشارقة (@ShjPolice) November 13, 2019
On Monday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of a family protection policy to tackle domestic violence.
Taking to Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE Cabinet will soon introduce a database to bring together various institutions working to combat the issue, allowing them to share information and work together to boost the safety of at-risk groups. A standardised system to report incidents of domestic abuse will also be created.
Following Tuesday's incident, Sharjah Police urged UAE residents to report any cases of abuse to the competent authorities and issued a fresh warning about the cyber laws in the UAE.
"Sharjah Police General Headquarters urges members of the public not to share such cases because of the negative repercussions among community members."
The cyber laws pertaining to the privacy of an individual are taken very seriously in the UAE. Article 378 of the UAE Penal Code (Federal Law 3 of 1987) and Article 21 of the UAE Cyber Crime Law (Federal Law No. 5 of 2012) refers to any photo or video taken that may breach the privacy of individuals.
Those who break the law can face hefty financial penalties. In some cases — depending on how a picture and/or video is used — jail time or deportation can be handed down too.
