Mum gets custody of child as dad leaves UAE

dubai — A mother has won the battle over custody of her fouryear-old daughter after the Federal Supreme Court revoked an earlier by the Appeals Court, which ruled in favour of her ex-husband.

The ex-husband had filed a lawsuit demanding the rights to the child because he was returning to his home country and couldn’t leave his child to stay in the UAE with her mother.

The official court documents stated that the Arab couple had separated a few years ago because of irreconcilable family disputes.

After their divorce, court granted custody of their only child to her mother. The man was also ordered to provide financial support and house rent to his ex-wife and his daughter.

The man, however, later ended his work contract in the UAE and decided to go back to his home country and work from there.

Before he could leave the UAE, the Arab father filed a law suit against his ex-wife demanding rights to his child so he could travel with her back home.

He said the mother wouldn’t take good care of the child here in the UAE, and besides he was worried about her safety and security given he would be staying very far from the child.

The Family Court of First Instance had rejected the man’s request and maintained that the child should stay in the UAE with her mum since she was too young.

The man challenged the ruling to the Appeal Court which cancelled the first verdict and granted custody of the child to her father.

The mother appealed to the UAE’s top court which overturned the Appeal Court verdict and upheld the ruling by the First Instance Court.

The woman told the Supreme Court that the man was deliberately taking away her small daughter from the UAE just to harm her even though she was able to take care of her.

The Federal Supreme Court judge said in his ruling that there was no justification in stripping the mother off the rights to her child because her father was merely leaving the country.