A system that punishes victims for reporting sexual assault if they don't meet certain "moral standards". A system that encourages acquaintance rape and sexual blackmail. A system that does not belong in the civilized world.
Survey says women unlikely to report rape
DUBAI // More than half of women in the UAE would not report a rape to police, although a significant majority of all residents would, a survey by YouGov Siraj indicated. The study, conducted via e-mail, showed that 77 per cent of UAE residents would report rapes, but that most of the 23 per cent who would not were women.
Fifty-five per cent of female respondents said they would not report a rape because they would worry about their family’s reputation or their own. Separately, 49 per cent feared being unjustly judged by society or accused of immoral behaviour.
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... or worse, being charged with crimes themselves.
Woman arrested after rape claim for illegal sex and drinking
DUBAI // A British woman on holiday in Dubai with her fiance reported a rape to the police only to be arrested herself for illegal sex and drinking. The woman, a 23-year-old of Pakistani descent, was in the emirate for a three-day break, celebrating her engagement. But on New Year’s Eve she was allegedly attacked by a waiter while semi-conscious in a hotel toilet.
When she reported the attack at the Jebel Ali police station the following morning, she was arrested, after reportedly admitting to illegal drinking and having sexual intercourse outside marriage. Her fiance, 44, was charged with the same offences.
The couple, both from London, have been released on bail and their passports have been confiscated. They are awaiting trial and could be jailed for up to six years if found guilty of the sex charge.
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And people wonder why ...
If I had to live in such a country, I would disguise myself in a boy...
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me this summer there have been an "ad" on TV and radios from the government about the conjugal violences. It was showing a woman who was shopping and meeting friends, and a man is talking/thinking about her with a strong disrespect. When this man is approaching her, we can realize he is her husband... The TV spot says that married woman should not let their husband mistreat them with words, which is psychological violence, first step to the physical violence which very often follows. A phone number to call is provided to these women. Here's the link of the TV spot : http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/video/2009/06/10/violences-conjugales-la-sape-psychologique-puis-les-coups_1205242_3224.html#xtor=AL-32280184
ReplyDeleteI think there are laws against cross-dressing too.
ReplyDelete...being a woman is a punishment there...
ReplyDeleteIt's not just being a woman. Even being a man and "immoral" here is dangerous. Her fiance is in trouble too, for the same reasons as she is.
ReplyDeleteOne little piece of irony is that one of the biggest projects here is The Tiger Woods Dubai, a huge golf course and resort designed by the most high-profile, if not the most prolific, philanderer of the sporting world. Nothing heard about cancellation yet (at least not for reasons other than economics).
Thanks Sohan for this post. Dubai is not as nice as it pretends to be finally...
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not sure it really pretends to be all that nice in this respect. One often sees official declarations in favor of "modest" dress and "moral" behavior. But the problem is that the law often looks the other way, which gives people a false sense of security to engage in conduct otherwise extremely risk for the Islamic world, until someone squeals or until they have to report a crime like this. If they walked into any city bar, a significant number of people there would be Muslim. And the police always have the "official law" to fall back on when they deem it necessary to prosecute people for "crimes" like these. It's just too damn vague. What is certain is that this system is highly conducive to crimes involving blackmail and reduced expectation of police complaints, as the victims would want to avoid getting prosecuted themselves, should they be forced to reveal that they were "living in sin".
ReplyDeleteHi Sohan,
ReplyDeleteLiu might be referring to how Dubai is projected to the international community from a commerical/consumer perspective, where it is presented as a first class, very modern, very cosmopolitan city, where people of all lifestyles are welcome, a city of opportunities with an exotic touch for those looking for it.
Yes, this is exactly what I wanted to mean with the expression I used. Thank you ! :)
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who visited Dubai 5 years ago for work purpose. She described us the city with so many superlatives that I thought that life could be easy there if you got a good job. I think she had only a superficial view of it.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23801765-police-taunted-then-arrested-british-woman-raped-in-dubai.do
ReplyDeleteIf she really levelled a false accusation, why did they let her go? Wouldn't it also be an injustice to the waiter to not press charges against her? And why so many changes of details from the police regarding the nationality of the waiter and what happened in the security camera footage? Dammit, is Dubai TRYING to get itself bad publicity among potential tourists? What about "live and let live"?
The second link at the bottom of the article gives more details. This is a strange story... I don't understand why these tourist people are not informed about the policy guidelines they should not forget when they travel in such a country. This is not the first time now that the british medias are reporting such abuse. What about the british embassy in Dubai ? They should warn their people about the laws and their strict applications... Same for the travel agencies.
ReplyDelete