Dubai police recall fines and other penalties for any flirting with women.
Dubai, UAE. Dubai police recall fines of up to 10 thousand dirhams (US $ 2.73 thousand) and criminal prosecution with a punishment of up to one year in prison for any form of harassment of unfamiliar women in the UAE.
Forms of flirting include winking, clinking and booing, as well as comments about the figure, attempts to exchange phone numbers, blow a kiss, or even touch hands. Taking photographs of women without their permission is also considered a crime.
The police recalled that last year 19 people were arrested for actions of this nature. Team Leader Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, Director of the Department of Criminal Investigation General Department, noted that every woman has the right to feel safe and protected, and any kind of harassment is contrary to the culture and traditions of the UAE.
According to article 359 of the UAE Criminal Code, the offender is sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 thousand dirhams. Both punishments may be imposed simultaneously if the action was committed in a public place and using verbal harassment.
According to lawyers, if the crime was committed by an expat, then after serving a prison term or paying a fine, he will be deported from the UAE. They also urge women to immediately report any kind of harassment or abuse.
Most often in Dubai, beach goers experience harassment. In 2018, 1,725 people were arrested for various offenses on the beaches: of which 289 - for photographing women without permission, 743 - for molesting bathers, 256 - for swimming in underwear.
