DUBAI // The little Emirati girl whose sister was tortured to death by their father has been sent to start her long recovery with her mother.
Mira was tortured and starved along with her sister Wadeema, 8.
She is physically scarred and emotionally traumatised, said Afra Al Basti, director general of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, where Mira was sent after her father was arrested.
Since then, custody of Mira has been awarded to her mother, who their father divorced in 2006.
“We had to do therapy with the mother first [about] how to deal with this girl,” Ms Al Basti said.
Mira was 7 when her sister’s case came to light last summer.
Prosecutors said the girls’ father and his girlfriend burnt them with cigarettes, poured boiling water on them and whipped them with electrical cords in their Dubai International City flat.
Their father was drunk and high on tramadol when he beat Wadeema with a bar and locked her in a bathroom, where he found her dead the next day, the court heard.
The UAE’s new child-protection legislation, a draft being discussed by the FNC, was named Wadeema’s Law in her memory.
In February, the father was sentenced to death and his girlfriend to life in jail. He is appealing against the sentence.
Mira’s recovery is just beginning. The abuse she saw and experienced could have emotional, behavioural, social and physical consequences, said Naeema Jiwani, a child development psychologist in Dubai.
“Family violence creates a home environment where children live in constant fear because everything is so variable,” Ms Jiwani said.
“Even though she is removed from this environment, because she has witnessed this at an age where fantasy bleeds into reality she is not really sure what her world is made of.”
The physical scars present more challenges. Mira’s skin is marked with white circles from the burns.
“This she can’t forget,” Ms Al Basti said. “We are trying to find out if we can do some cosmetic surgery for her.”
Foundation staff are working closely with Mira and her mother, visiting the girl at home and school, Ms Al Basti said. “We follow every single day the mother and the girl.”
The foundation also conducts unannounced visits to gather evidence for future custody hearings.
“After six months we have to give feedback [to the court] and then again in six months, continuously,” Ms Al Basti said.
As Mira grows up she may grapple with feelings of anger, helplessness, depression or even embarrassment, Ms Jiwani said.
“This poor child has to go back into society, back into her school network, back into even just the neighbourhood,” she said. “How many people know of what happened to her?”
Mira may also have trouble trusting or bonding with her mother.
“Fear of abandonment is really, really big in children who witness family violence,” Ms Jiwani said.
In court, defence lawyer Hamdi Al Sheewi argued Mira’s mother should also face charges, claiming she had given up on her daughters. The court rejected that argument.
Mira’s future will depend on how she and her mother cope, Ms Jiwani said. “This is where her mother comes in as her figure for everything, for changing this entire cycle.
“Depending on how she manages and brings up this child it could go very positively.”
Eventually, Mira will need to find a way to make sense of the trauma she experienced.
“Why was this done to her? That’s going to be one of the biggest questions,” Ms Jiwani said. “Is this how normal children are treated?
“The mum is going to have to put a complete opposite model of love and trust and respect.”
Therapy will also play a crucial role, Ms Jiwani said. “She needs to be able to relive some of that trauma in a contained capacity.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has offered to pay Mira’s expenses.
vnereim@thenational.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.
The Saudi Cup race card
1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000
4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000
6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000
7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000
8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000