UAE Child Protection Laws

With over 200 nationalities, the UAE is a country diverse in culture and ethnicities. However, each of these cultures practice varying levels of discipline when it comes to engaging with and caring for children. In 2016 the UAE established Federal Law No 3, mandating a new set of Child Protection Laws to streamline the rights of all children who reside across the UAE.

According to the 2010 census, children comprise approximately 24% of the UAE population. However, the statistics on the types of abuse and how common childhood abuse is in the UAE are hard to come by, primarily due to the fact that most abuse is not reported.

While there are undeniable cases of abuse, there are far more grey areas when it comes to what is deemed as negligent behavior. According to Khalid Al Kamda, director-general of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, "It's essential to educate the public on what is acceptable and unacceptable parenting,", "Negligence can be typical