Mission & Justice

7/8/08

The United Arab Emirates has cancelled almost $7 billion of debt including interest and arrears payments owed by Baghdad, becoming the first Gulf Arab country to forgive all of Iraq’s debt. The United States has pressed Arab governments to support Iraq’s recovery by joining Western nations in forgiving their share of Iraqi foreign debts that total up to $80 billion. Washington also wants Arab capitals to establish high-level diplomatic representation in Iraq. In a step towards easing Baghdad’s diplomatic isolation, the UAE appointed its new ambassador to Iraq on Sunday during a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. The move came a month after the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Ben Zayed Nahayan became the first Gulf Arab foreign minister to visit Baghdad since the US-led invasion in 2003.

(more…)

4/7/08

Seventeen women have been taken by police from a luxury hotel in Brussels amid allegations they had been enslaved by an Arab royal family. Police officers and officials from Belgium’s Labour Audit Authority raided the Conrad Hotel, the preferred choice of many national leaders attending European Union summits, on Tuesday. The operation was triggered by the apparent escape of a maid who was among 20 servants working for the widow of a senior royal figure from the United Arab Emirates and her four daughters, who have rented the entire fourth floor of the hotel for the past year. Officials took away 17 people - from countries including the Philippines, Morocco, India, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Syria - amid allegations they had been held captive for eight months.

(more…)

Anjana Sankar; 28/6/08

The marriage plans of Indians in the UAE could run into trouble if they don’t get the green light from their parents. The Indian Consulate in Dubai has apparently begun insisting on consent letters from parents. A couple said their marriage has been put on hold because the consulate asked for a letter from their parents.

(more…)

Marie Magleby; 28/6/08

A surgeon has disclosed that many women are seeking plastic surgery to restore their youthful looks and retain the interest of their husbands who they fear will take another younger wife. “Men are the main cause of pushing these women to plastic surgery,” said surgeon Sahar Al Kadhi, who added that marital discord is the main reason why women are willing to go under the knife. “Surgeons sometimes have to play psychologists for depressed patients who seek surgery to distract themselves from their emotional and physical pain,” said Loaay Haidar, a specialist in Italian cosmetic surgery. “We have to choose our patients with extreme care.”

(more…)

Marie Magleby; 28/6/08

Since she came to the UAE in 2006, Rose has been picking up the pieces of her shattered hopes. Now, eight bosses later, she keeps hoping her day will arrive. Rose arrived in the UAE with a visit visa after years of working in the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. She could have signed on with an agency in the Philippines to guarantee a job, but she had already been through a series of unfortunate events and preferred to take no risks. She wanted to meet her sponsor before signing. She refers to most of her employers as bosses, not sponsors, because only one of them sponsored an employment visa for her. The others sent her to Kish Island, Iran, every couple of months to return as a visitor, or the employment didn’t last long enough to worry about it.

(more…)

Bassam Za’za’; 19/6/08

Three men who allegedly bought a housemaid for 50,000 Indian rupees (Dh4,283) in India and sexually exploited her in Dubai, have been charged with human trafficking. The Indian suspects, 32-year-old M.K. 35-year-old S.S. and 36-year-old M.S., have also been charged with sexually exploiting the housemaid, S.P. The Indian Consulate in Dubai tipped off the police. According to a police corporal the girl was found in a flat in the Naif area. The three suspects were arrested at the building.

(more…)

19/6/08

In a bid to upgrade the quality of services offered and acquire best global practices and methods to combat domestic violence, the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) is collaborating with a number of organisations that focus on social issues with an emphasis on women and children’s rights. The foundation recently participated in the Annual Conference of Family Justice Solidarity Centre in the US. The forum discussed methods that help in combating domestic violence. Afra Al Basti, Executive Director, DFWAC said: “Our participation in such events, gives us an opportunity to interact and exchange experiences and knowledge with leading organisations at local, regional, and international levels, to combat domestic violence, in line with the UAE’s strategy.”

(more…)