Seeking Protection from Abuse: An Emirati Woman’s Ordeal

Hind Albolooki fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the wake of threats from relatives for wanting to separate from an abusive husband.

Hind Albolooki
Hind Albolooki/Twitter

“I am a mother of four children,” she said. “No mother would leave her children just like this. But I had to leave my kids. I had no other choice.” Her choice to escape says much regarding the absence of insurance accessible to ladies in the UAE.

Hind looked for shelter in North Macedonia, yet authorities dismissed her asylum claim. She is now trapped in an immigration detention center, begging not to be deported back to the UAE and instead allowed to claim asylum elsewhere. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has banned her extradition while it forms her case. Yet, it is vague whether Macedonian specialists will send her back to the UAE or follow the ECHR’s choice.

On the off chance that you trust the UAE’s talk on ladies’ rights, it may be hard to comprehend why ladies like Hind trust that to leave an oppressive spouse, they have no choice but to escape the UAE. In fact, because of news of Hind’s ordeal, Ahmed Almulla, deputy head of mission at the UAE international safe haven in Rome, stated: “Domestic abuse is a serious crime, and has no place whatsoever in the UAE; Emirati women are protected and fully empowered under UAE laws.”

In any case, his words ring empty. Laws in the UAE oppress ladies in a number of ways and neglect to shield them from brutality. Individual status laws in the UAE deny ladies the right to settle on self-sufficient choices about marriage. For a lady to wed, her male guardian must approve her marriage contract. When hitched, she is required to “comply” with her significant other. A lady might be viewed as defiant if she works without her better half’s assent. She can lose her entitlement to monetary help if she chooses not to engage in sexual relations with her significant other without a legal reason. In the event that a lady chooses to separate from her significant other, she needs to apply for a court order while men reserve the right to separate from their spouses.

Additionally, the UAE has no particular law on aggressive behavior at home. Indeed, its laws grant it. The UAE’s Federal Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that spouses may beat or utilize different types of discipline or intimidation against their wives sof ar as this does not leave physical marks. Marital rape is additionally not a crime.

If UAE authorities truly commit to ending violence and discrimination against women in law and practice, then women like Hind may not again feel like their only choice is to flee the country, leaving children and loved ones behind.

Read Also: Victim Blaming Culture: Here Is Why All The Reasons You Discredit Her Sexual Assault Allegations Are Totally Flawed

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