The UAE on Sunday ordered police to arrest men who harass women in public place, saying their pictures would be published in newspapers under a decree by Defense Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The decree was issued following several reports of harassment in the Emirati cities, according to the Gulf News.
Several women said the action would help reduce the number of incidents.
A 30-year-old American who has worked in Dubai for three years said men were becoming bolder.
"It doesn't matter what you are wearing, where you are, or what time of the day it is. If they see a single woman, she is fair game," she told the paper. "Some men have become more aggressive in recent times, and it is not restricted to any particular nationality."
I was waiting for a taxi in Bur Dubai when an Asian expatriate walked up to me and said 'How much?.' I was stunned because I was just standing there minding my own business, so I cursed him and he went away," she said.
"On several other occasions I have been followed from supermarkets and honked at by drivers. The worst bit was when I was attacked twice while travelling in the elevator of my apartment block.This has happened in the early hours of the evening when security staff and people were around, but that doesn't seem to stop them," she added.
A 27-year-old woman said she had been accosted and screamed at on the road. "Something needs to be done about this," she said. "People don't bother helping or coming to your aid. It's just you fending for yourself."
"Things have to get stricter and there should be zero tolerance for this kind of behavior and more vigilance against it," she added.
A Dubai police official said the authorities strictly enforced the law banning harassment of women and took such incidents very seriously.
"The Dubai government doesn't allow this kind of behavior," he told the paper.
"Men who harass women in this manner are arrested and face penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment. Their photographs are also published in the newspapers, bringing shame to themselves and their families." – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
