Jail and Dh10,000 fine in UAE for harassing women

It also includes people found guilty of cross-dressing to enter a place exclusively for women

The public prosecution has reminded the public that they can be fined and jailed for molesting women. AFP

Authorities in the UAE have reminded the public that they can be fined and jailed for harassing women.

Prosecutors said on social media that people would be penalised according to article 412 of the penal code if their words or actions harass a woman.

It also includes people who are found guilty of cross-dressing to gain access to a place exclusively for women.

Offenders would be jailed for a maximum of one year or fined a maximum of Dh10,000, or both.

In December 2019, legal changes added the charge of sexual harassment to the country’s penal code and it expanded its legal definition.

The new harassment law also treats male and female victims equally and recognises that men can also be victims of sexual harassment.

It states that the crime includes repetitive harassment through action, words or even signs that aim to coax the recipient into responding to the offender’s desires — or the desires of another.