Emirates Today

Aug 12: Dubai Police have said they will not make special allowances for women who are caught harassing men – they will be treated in exactly the same way as men arrested for the same crime.
This comes hot on the heels of an incident in Ras Al Khaimah, where a number of girls were arrested on charges of harassing men.

The police found this behaviour running across a number of cases, with girls pursuing men for immoral reasons that are contradictory to the social norms and religious values of the UAE.

Brigadier Khamis Mattar Al Muzainah, director of the General Department of Investigation in Dubai, said: “Punitive laws apply to both genders and we do not differentiate when we take disciplinary measures.

“Men and women caught for improper conduct and harassment in public will be held accountable for their actions.” Dubai Police have named and shamed men in the media to deter the offenders from being a nuisance to women.

Some experts believe this has helped reduce the problem among UAE national men in a culture where this can leave a lasting impact on a person’s entire family.

In the past, women have complained that the authorities were not doing enough to deter men from making unwelcome and offensive sexual advances or remarks while they were at the beach or in other public places.

Victims of harassment have been encouraged to report such offences to the police. The UAE penal code provides protection against harassment if a victim submits a complaint to a police station specifying the type of harassment, the time and place and any other incriminating information.

Last week, a man in Dubai was sentenced to three months in prison after a woman complained that he had touched her buttocks in a lift and made a suggestive remark.The man claimed that his laptop had brushed against the woman in the tight space.

Dubai Police have said they will not make special allowances for women who are caught harassing men – they will be treated in exactly the same way as men arrested for the same crime. This comes hot on the heels of an incident in Ras Al Khaimah, where a number of girls were arrested on charges of harassing men.

The police found this behaviour running across a number of cases, with girls pursuing men for immoral reasons that are contradicto- ry to the social norms and reli- gious values of the UAE. Brigadier Khamis Mattar Al Muzainah, director of the General Department of Investigation in Dubai, said: “Punitive laws apply to both genders and we do not differ- entiate when we take discipli- nary measures. “Men and women caught for improper conduct and harassment in public will be held accountable for their actions.”

Dubai Police have named and shamed men in the media to deter the offenders from being a nuisance to women. Some experts believe this has helped reduce the prob- lem among UAE national men in a culture where this can leave a lasting impact on a per- son’s entire family. In the past, women have complained that the authori- ties were not doing enough to deter men from making unwelcome and offensive sex- ual advances or remarks while they were at the beach or in other public places. Victims of harassment have been encouraged to report such offences to the police.

The UAE penal code provides protection against harassment if a victim submits a complaint to a police station specifying the type of harassment, the time and place and any other incriminating information. Last week, a man in Dubai was sentenced to three months in prison after a woman complained that he had touched her buttocks in a lift and made a suggestive remark.The man claimed that his laptop had brushed against the woman in the tight space.