A couple who severely abused their nine-year-old daughter had their sentences reduced by three years yesterday by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal.
The case of the Emirati girl was highlighted by authorities in a move to raise awareness of child abuse.
Her father and stepmother were originally sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 26 by the Criminal Court of First Instance and fined a total of Dh160,000 (US$43,570).
The public prosecution appealed, demanding the maximum penalty of 15 years. The parents also appealed in hopes of reducing the sentence.
The Appeal Court hearing was closed to the public at the request of the father. The father, dressed in blue prison overalls, walked up to the judge as the verdict was delivered. With no expression on his face, he returned to his seat. His wife, who is believed to be pregnant, was not present. Despite the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department's renewed call for transparency, the judge declined to give any reason for reducing the sentence.
The girl, who has been recovering in Al Mafraq Hospital, was admitted in February when her father claimed she had fallen off her bicycle. She had severe bruises, burns and scars on her body. According to medical reports she was 80 per cent physically disabled.
Doctors who examined her doubted the father's claim and contacted the police who arrested him and the girl's stepmother.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited her in hospital along with his daughter. Both he and Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Minister of Interior, spoke out against child abuse and have personally committed themselves to the wellbeing of children.
The April 26 hearing received nationwide attention in an effort to bring the issue of child abuse to the surface. It marked the first case in which journalists were invited by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to attend court proceedings.
At the initial hearing, the father insisted he was "protecting" his daughter. The stepmother, who was accused of doing most of the hitting, confessed to beating the child to teach her not to "touch herself".
In an emotional outburst, the man's mother recounted how her granddaughter would confide in her about the abuse by the stepmother. The man's family condemned him in court for failing to stop his own daughter being abused.
The reduced sentence came as a surprise to Dr Leena Amiri, a child psychiatrist and lecturer at Al Ain University Medical School, who is among a team handling the child's healing process.
"I am shocked, to be honest," she said. "It really sends the wrong message that we are too lenient about something that surprisingly came out in public after a long time. It raises more questions than it answers."
Asked if the child was expected to make a full recovery, she added: "It's too early to tell at this stage, but we are hopeful because she is getting the best attention possible. I just hope we can all learn from this tragedy."
This case has opened discussion on the Child Rights Act, which is being proposed by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The draft law promises to criminalise child abuse and institute a foster care system in which abused children can be taken into state custody. It further sets penalties on people who know of abuse and fail to report it, such as housemaids and family members, with fines of Dh2,000 to Dh10,000. While the proposed law has yet to be introduced in the Federal National Council for debate, there are existing laws under which parents can be prosecuted for abuse. The new law would be the first comprehensive legal document dedicated to children's rights.
myoussef@thenational.ae
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
More on Quran memorisation:
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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