The UAE has announced a number of changes to personal and family laws in the country. According to a news report from UAE federal government news agency, WAM, the changes are part of the efforts of authorities to improve and enhance the UAE legislative environment, entrench the principles of tolerance in the society and strengthen the country’s position as a preferred hub that attracts people to reside and work.
The new policies cover alcohol consumption, cohabitation, divorce, harassments, etc.
Also Read: What Social Etiquette Means in the UAE
Here are some of the major changes residents and expats should be aware of:
- No more license needed to purchase and consume alcohol in authorized places.
- Unmarried couples can cohabitate.
- A person’s nationality will determine how assets are divided (next to kin), unless there’s a written will. This excludes properties/asserts purchased in UAE which will follow UAE laws.
- Good Samaritans – people who help others in need – will not be held responsible for a person’s death.
- Suicide and attempted suicides are decriminalized.
- Expats who divorce in the UAE can follow the rules of their home country.
The reforms include:
• Suicide and attempted suicide have been decriminalised, with authorities to arrange mental health services for those in need.
• Non-Emirati couples who divorce in the UAE, can follow the rules of their home country.— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) November 7, 2020
Below is a post from WAM news agency on Twitter:
#UAEPresident approves amendments to Personal Status, Civil Transactions, Penal Code, Criminal Procedural laws #WamNews
Read More: https://t.co/8tGM7fJHfB pic.twitter.com/8Krvc5B86t— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) November 7, 2020
President approves amendments to Personal Status, Civil Transactions, Penal Code, Criminal Procedural laws
(WAM) – President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has approved Federal Law-Decrees to amend the Personal Status, Civil Transactions, Penal Code and Criminal Procedural laws.
The Federal Law-Decrees mean to further enhance the UAE legislative environment, entrench the principles of tolerance in the society and strengthen the country’s position as a preferred hub that attracts people to reside and work.
Based on the UAE solid commitment to protecting women’s rights, amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedural law have repealed the article giving reduced (lenient) sentence in what is called “honour crimes”.
In another context, the amendments also allow the UAE Attorney General, in coordination with prosecutors in local authorities, to identify cases involving misdemeanours and infractions, where Penal Order can be applied, a step that aims at reducing the burden on the judiciary, especially in cases of minor cases.
Meanwhile, amendments to the Personal Status and the Civil Transactions laws allow non-citizens to choose the law that governs issues such as inheritance.
إلغاء المادة التي تمنح العذر المخفف فيما يسمى “بجرائم الشرف” بناءً على التعديلات، بحيث تعامل جرائم القتل وفقاً للنصوص المعمول بها في قانون العقوبات. #حكومة_الإمارات
— UAEGov (@uaegov) November 7, 2020
• There will be no longer a distinction of crimes known as ‘ #HonourCrimes’, where a male relative can get a lighter sentence for assaulting a female relative under the guise of ‘protecting honour’. Rather, such incidents will be treated as crimes, similar to any other assault.
— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) November 7, 2020
Other News Sources:
WAM
The National News –
