‘I’m scared of my son’s future’

“My child receives good care but I do not want him to live behind the bars,” says a 30-year-old mother whose son is living with her in the jail.

The boy is now two-year-old. She told Khaleej Times that she regrets committing the crime as her son is forced to live in prison.

“I do not want my son to live behind the bars, without seeing the outside world. I have to serve a long jail term and I am so scared for my son’s future. I am also afraid of what he will think about me and what excuse I am going to give him when he grows up,” she said. “I would prefer my son to live outside the prison but the problem is that I have no family member in the UAE who can take care of him.”

There are several similar cases in the jails across the UAE. Many people ask about the legal position in cases if woman is pregnant and has committed a crime worthy of sending her to jail and later delivering behind bars.

Legal experts suggest the court does not take custody of the child in mind if the woman is found guilty. So while she is in jail, the woman can take care of her child.

Female inmates have the right to request to take care of their children themselves while in prison and the judge can consider this request.

In Dubai Central Prison, there is a special place for women and their newborn babies and there is a special section for pregnant women.

As for the death penalty, the law stipulates that execution of the capital punishment would be postponed until the woman delivers the child and breastfeeds for two years.