Cabinet approves FNC request to tackle domestic violence

Nine council members sent a request noting the rise in domestic violence and an 'absence of legislation related to the violence women and children endured' just before summer recess.

The role of Ewa’a shelters for women and children, including victims of human trafficking, will be among the issues investigated by the FNC committee. Silvia Razgova / The National

ABU DHABI // The Federal National Council is to launch an inquiry into whether the law adequately protects women and children from violence in the home.

The study will be carried out by the Human Rights Committee, the council newest internal body.

It will examine all existing laws against domestic violence, the role of Ewa’a centres and the process of rehabilitating victims and training people to help them.

The seven-member committee met in Dubai to elect a chairman, the council’s longest serving member, Ali Jassim (UAQ), and a rapporteur, the veteran member Dr Abdulrahim Al Shahin (RAK).

Mr Jassim has said before that there is a need for a new law to guarantee women’s rights. “The law would mainly focus on domestic violence against women and touch on a lot of other aspects related to women. This is what we want,” he said.

“There is a penal code that deals with matters of violence against women, but no one unified reference of all women’s rights.

“Recently the UAE has drawn up so many laws in various fields, but this is one field we want to be distinguished in.”

The new investigation follows a request from nine council members just before the summer recess. They said there had been a rise in domestic violence and an “absence of legislation related to the violence women and children endured”.

The policy vacuum, they said, had led to a number of cases being removed from the jurisdiction of the courts and referred instead to family guidance.

When members returned to the council last week, they were told that the Federal Cabinet had approved their request to investigate the issue.

Mr Jassim said the committee would begin by asking the council’s General Secretariat if their number could be augmented by council members who had made the original request.

He hoped the General Secretariat would approve the request, he said.

The committee is still unsure whether the discussion will focus on UAE nationals or on all residents.