Sexual Crimes and Laws in UAE

Before we understand the laws and penalties for sexual crimes and acts, it is important to know about the sexual crimes happening around us. Cases of rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual assault are known as sexual crimes. Any kind of harm related to your body is a sexual offense.  Such acts of violence have strict penalties in the UAE and other countries. Violation of the ethical code of conduct, whether in a country or an organization, will result in severe consequences, including imprisonment for years. UAE implements the serious consequences, and offenders cannot get the escape. Such disputes can be treated as a labour law violation, civil law violation and criminal law violation.

As per Federal Law No.3 of 1987 (Penal Code), the sexual crimes and related laws in UAE are discussed and explained. However, there have been recent developments as well, which are amended under Federal Decree Law No. 31 of 2021. The cyber threat also reveals sexual offense by blackmailing the victim or sending their explicit photos without consent of the person.

It is strictly punishable and Federal Decree Law No 5 of 2012, which is related to combating cybercrimes, provides provision to punish the offenders and violators. The sexual offenses include: rape, harassment, abuse, and cyber exploitation. For further details or any help, readers can meet with our specialized Business Lawyers.

The sexual act will determine whether it was consensual or a crime in the UAE. It means this act has complete authority and interpretation itself to deal with these two subjects. Previously, adults over 18 years of age and unmarried people having sexual relationships were known as criminal offenders. Considering this, the minors, married people, or individuals not known to each other, having any kind of sexual contact were prohibited. Lately, Dubai has made changes in its legal system, ensuring the safety of every citizen.

If the sexual misconduct is determined/performed in UAE, then allegations on person will be investigated thoroughly and decision will be made. Police reports, medical examinations, and forensic evidence are taken into consideration. The victims are provided with legal support as well as physical protection during the trial.

As for the punishments for sexual crimes, the offender can be given capital punishment or even life imprisonment. The online sexual offenses may have a financial penalty of up to AED 500,000. You must hire legal professionals if you are accused of a sexual crime in the UAE or you have to face any challenge like this.

The UAE legal system is a combination of Sharia law and civil law. The cases of sexual offenses are handled with extreme confidentiality and sensitivity. Neither any exemption nor and support is granted. With the increasing sexual crimes in UAE, several departments are operating to ensure protection to women and children who are the victims of abuse. One of those departments is known as the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children. However, the law fully protects the innocent people here in UAE including Kids and women.

If you were a victim of sexual abuse in the UAE, hiring the Dubai law firm like Al Shaiba Advocate and Legal Consultant, would be an effective approach towards your case. These law firms have specialized lawyers who have previously worked on cases related to sexual violence.

When it comes to vulnerable groups, it includes people with different abilities. They are mostly exposed to sexual abuse because it is difficult for them to cope in every situation. The crime offender is strictly penalized if they are involved in sexual acts with children or people challenged, physically or mentally.

As modern digitalisation has also taken place in the UAE, there has been an increase in cybercrimes and its relevant activities as well. They include online scams such as sextortion, asking for money or hacking someone’s bank account. Recently, there has been an increase in sexual crimes online, where the intimate photos of individuals are shared without their consent.

Online sexual harassment is not restricted to websites and social platforms. However, if you are receiving explicit messages on WhatsApp, which involves your phone number, it comes under sexual harassment. Therefore, the UAE has made laws against sexual crimes. Nevertheless, the lawyers in Dubai shall be hired to have a legal proceeding against sexual crimes.

The sexual crimes are reported to the police station under the UAE Penal Code. The Public Prosecution is responsible to take immediate action against the crime, especially when evidence is provided. If nothing is provided yet, the investigations must begin. Besides that, the victims are encouraged to report such crimes through awareness sessions. The Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi has worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior to let the victims come forward for reporting heinous crimes.

If the individual makes false allegations of a sexual crime in the UAE, it will lead to defamation charges and imprisonment. Therefore, as a victim of these kinds of crimes, you should have evidence of whether it is physical harm or an image sent to you online. To have a better understanding of the proofs that you can have for legal proceedings, consult lawyers in Dubai.

The religious and cultural values are promoted in the UAE’s legal system. The UAE Penal Code has made recent developments to ensure more protection for the victims, especially women and children. Moreover, there has been clarifications to the consensual relationships between a man and a woman. Recently, Dubai law firms have come with more developments in the UAE legal system to protect the rights of the residents and expatriates.

Besides taking legal action against sexual crimes, the UAE government is also working with schools and workplaces against sexual harassment cases. However, these trainings educate individuals about the right and wrong behaviours of society and have preventive measures against those issues. In addition to the awareness sessions, the employers are also directed to have anti-harassment policies as per the UAE laws.