Dubai, Jun 1 (Emirates 247) :  The misuse of social media sites was the main reason for problems such as family disputes and cheating, according to the Directorate General of Human Rights at Dubai Police.

Feuds developed into quarrels and marital problems that led to the intervention of Social Support section of the Department of Women and Child Protection at the Directorate General of Human Rights at Dubai Police, to resolve these issues, said Fatima Al Kindi, Head of the section.

According to a report in ‘Emarat Al Youm’, Al Kindi said many cases have come up due to the abuse of social media networks including a dispute that started between two Arab families that were linked by bonds of a strong friendship.

She added the dispute started between the two families on Facebook and extended to real life where it developed into a fight.

Al Kindi added that abusing of social networking sites particularly WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook, have exacerbated and brought tension into martial relationships. They have been used to reveal cheating by some husbands towards their wives and vice versa.

She said in one case, a couple had received pictures of his wife dancing with another man in a night club.

Family feud

She revealed that the dispute between two families was referred by one of the police stations to the social support section.

The dispute arose when two women insulted each other on Facebook even though they were close friends.

Unfortunately the problem escalated and the tongue-lashing extended to other members of the family, too. The children of the two women also quarrelled. Later, when the women happened to meet at a mall, a scuffle started and one of the women hit the other’s son.

Al Kindi said as the fight escalated, the wives called their husbands who also got involved in the dispute. That is when the police was called.

Dubai Police tried to solve the problem amicably. The two families were summoned to the General Directorate for Human Rights. “We in the department brought attention of the two families to the fact that social networking sites are for convergence and not for bickering and hostility, especially as there was friendship between the two families.

The families signed a pledge not to fight again and to avoid dragging their children into their problems. They promised to return to the spirit of amity and understanding between them.

Cheating on spouse

Al Kindi reported social networking sites were also used to expose extra-marital affairs, which has led to divorces in some cases.

An Arab man’s wife approached the department and complained that her husband was cheating her as she discovered a text message on his mobile. She alleged that the name of the contact was saved as that of a man’s but she was sure it was a female, because her husband had messaged that he wanted to meet her.

The woman claimed that she was hurt because she was a co-operative wife. The officials called the couple and resolved the issue amicably. The husband regretted his act and promised to end his relationship with the other woman.

Al Kindi said there have also been cases of intolerance leading to break-ups. In one case, which involved an Asian couple, the man’s friends sent him pictures of his wife dancing with another person while he was on a business trip.

The angry man assaulted his wife and informed her family, but later confessed that he loved her and made her promise she will not repeat it again. Thus, the issue was solved amicably.

However, there have been cases that worsened with family interference, Al Kindi added, where the men are beaten by their wives’ brothers.

In one such case, investigation revealed that the man beat his wife after he discovered she had betrayed him. But the wife called her brothers to take revenge and they thrashed the husband up. However, the brothers later regretted their action when it was confirmed that their sister had, indeed, betrayed her husband.