Dad stops son’s studies, cops intervene

dubai — A father refused to send his son to school after his divorce with the child’s mother and the Dubai Police had to intervene to continue the child’s studies, a senior police officer has said.

According to Brigadier Dr Mohammed Al Murr, director of the general department for human rights at the Dubai Police, the mother of the child contacted the police, complaining that her son had stopped going to school and it would affect his future. Officials from the department convinced the father to send the child to school, he said, adding that right to education is a legal right of children. “The mother told us that her ex-husband was trying to escape from his responsibilities and wanted her family to bear the expense of the boy’s education. However, we convinced him to spend for his son’s education and he started sending the child to school,” said Brig. Al Murr.

The officer said this was one among many instances where children are neglected or ill-treated by parents after their separation. The police received many complaints and the general department of human rights has successfully resolved the issues, he added.

Dad beats daughter over Snapchat use

Another recent case was that of a 16-year-old girl, who was assaulted by her father over her use of Snapchat. “Four years ago, her parents had a divorce and since then, she was not allowed to talk to her mother, who left the UAE. However, the girl opened a Snapchat account and sent her pictures to her mother and other friends. When the father came to know this, he beat the girl up and stopped her from using social media.”

Brig Al Murr said the police received a letter from her school principal, who noticed signs of assault on the girl. When the school authorities summoned the father and questioned him about the incident, he said he beat the daughter as she misused social media. After police intervention, the father agreed to allow her to talk to her mother, he said.

Lt-Col Saeed Rashid Al Haili, director of the department of child and women’s protection at the department, said that the father denied his daughter’s allegations and said that he found a number of smartphones in her possession. He claimed that he satisfied every requirement of his daughter but she acted upon incitement from her mother and uncle.

The father punished his daughter by preventing her from going to school this year, said Lt-Col Al Haili, adding that the human rights department had referred the case to public prosecution.

Legal protection

Legal advisor Murtada Majed said that in the recent years, children facing cases of neglect or ill treatment from their guardians have seen a rise in the UAE. “Some parents show arrogance in dealing with their children without thinking of finding solution to the psychological problem of the children. They should evaluate the child’s behaviour and stay away from negative reaction to prevent disastrous consequences on the kids,” he said.

“Some parents leave the children in an unsafe place and neglect them for long hours because of their busy life schedule, leading to a risk of injury or death. We see a lot of tragic incidents that occur because of negligence from parents, which is legally punishable act,” said Majed. amira@khaleejtimes.com