A senior UAE judge said a move to impose tougher punishments for crimes against women shows the importance of laws keeping pace with shifts in social and cultural attitudes.
Major reforms to the country's legal system announced on Saturday further safeguarded the rights of women.
The raft of amendments included stronger penalties for men who subject women to harassment of any kind, which is thought to cover street harassment or stalking.
New legislation will also strike out the distinction between crimes against women, such as assault, and "honour crimes" committed by a male against a female relative under the guise of "protecting honour".
We live in an open community and people need to walk freely without having to worry about someone harassing them
“There are a number of social and cultural changes and as society changes, so too must the law,” said Judge Ahmed Ibrahim Saif, head of the Dubai Civil Court and former chief justice of Dubai's criminal courts.
“We are in a rapidly developing world across all sectors and this means everyone needs to adapt and develop, including legislators.
“Legislators have to keep up with the changes and make law amendments accordingly."
He stressed that the law should reflect the country's moral code and help ensure that all of its residents feel safe.
“We live in an open community and people need to walk freely without having to worry about someone harassing them,” he said.
The UAE has been making significant strides to bolster its harassment laws in recent years.
Last December, the charge of sexual harassment was added to the country’s penal code.
The legal definition of sexual harassment was expanded to include repetitive harassment through action, words or even signs that aim to coax the recipient into responding to the offender’s sexual desires — or the desires of another.
Further amendments also looked at men as potential victims not only as perpetrators and increased the penalty to a minimum of one year in prison, a fine no more than Dh10,000 or both.
The legal reforms announced on Saturday will greatly increase the maximum fine for sexual harassment to Dh100,000.
“The new laws will have more teeth when it comes to sexual crimes,” said Mr Hesham Elrafei, legal expert and founder of Lex Animata TV.
Most Sharia laws were written by scholars centuries ago, in a different era and different societies, Mr Elrafei said.
He said the Emirates was taking the opportunity to update its laws to greater reflect the needs of a modern society.
Formerly, the law on harassment specified that it had to have taken place publicly while the amendment made in December last year includes all forms, regardless of location.
“The latest changes made to the law add another layer of protection against offences of sexual nature,” said Yousef Al Bahar, an Emirati criminal lawyer and head of Al Bahar and Associates Advocates.
Another legal expert welcomed the changes to the legal system.
“These amendments are reflective of a UAE that is tolerant and open to different nationalities and religions,” said Hadeya Hamad, a lawyer at Hadeya Hamad Advocacy and Legal Consultants.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- 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.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
