ABU DHABI // A sweeping new law to define and guarantee women’s rights will combat domestic violence, safeguard women’s health and unify support services in all seven emirates.
The newly formed Human Rights Committee of the Federal National Council views the proposed new law as a natural progression from the Child Rights law passed this year.
“The law would mainly focus on domestic violence against women and touch on a lot of other aspects related to women. This is what we want,” said Ali Jassim (UAQ), a veteran FNC member.
"There is a penal code for matters of violence against women, but no one unified reference of all women's rights. Recently the UAE has drawn up so many laws in various fields, but this is one field we want to be distinguished in."
He pointed out that Bahrain had a law on women and children. “And we only have children. Women need one law to include their rights, role and protection.”
Mr Jassim said women’s rights were well established, but more was needed, and he rejected suggestions from some FNC members that legislation was unnecessary.
“Women are weaker than men in most cases, they are sensitive and are abused,” he said.
“Men think they are everything and do everything and think this is personal choice – all at the woman’s expense. Men can sleep in the street, women cannot. Women need protection. Men are usually the perpetrators. Bahrain cared enough to make a law for women, we should too.”
Women’s issues have risen on the FNC’s agenda since the council was formed, often at Mr Jassim’s prompting.
When women became members of the council for the first time in 2006, further matters arose, such as maternity leave, retirement age, violence against women, and health.
“Over the years debating these issues with the Government to secure greater maternity leave or early retirement age gave us insight in what the Government’s viewpoint is,” Mr Jassim said. “Yes, they have a point, but we do too – including the small number of locals in the country and the need for women to take care of their children and be less reliant on maids.”
While the proposed law would be general, covering the purpose and leaving the Ministry of Social Affairs and other ministries to draw up its articles, Mr Jassim hopes to see clauses covering maternity leave, nurseries and women's health.
Aware that for cultural reasons some conservative families would not allow women to be treated by male doctors, he said a way to tackle this would be through increasing women's salaries in the health profession to attract them to work. The existing 45 to 60-day maternity leave should also be reviewed.
Mr Jassim is optimistic that the Cabinet will respond positively to the law, “as they have to previous suggestions”.
Dr Mona Al Baher (Dubai) said women needed to be made aware of their rights.
“This is a problem we must look at,” she said. “There are problems concerning women in society, but we cannot say one or two or 10 would count as a phenomenon. We cannot ask for a law [specifically on women’s rights], or say that her rights are not there. Women’s organisations have a big role to play in society to help raise awareness.”
She said variations in law among emirates was also a matter of concern, requiring a federal umbrella law or for all policies to be inline.
She noted, in particular, the difference in the length of maternity leave, depending on emirate.
Mohammed Al Raqbani (Fujairah) called on companies to accommodate working mothers by allowing them to coordinate their holidays with their children’s school holidays and not require them to rush to work when they have other commitments.
“There needs to be more flexibility,” he said. “If a child is sick, who will stay with them at home? Who will take the children to school in the morning? We cannot require from women the same as we do from men in some cases.
“At the end of the day, this is for the children, the future generation.”
The next few meetings of the Human Rights Committee will review laws on women’s rights in other countries for guidance on what might be included in UAE law.
When the seven-member committee completes its proposal a draft law will be passed to the full 40-member council for approval. Afterwards, it will be sent to the Cabinet for consideration.
osalem@thenational.ae