Emirati mother in trouble for neglecting children

Dubai, June 8: A mother of five is facing legal action for negligently leaving her five children under the care of two nannies for 10 months although she was supposed to look after them after she won their custody, the Dubai Police said.

The plight of the five children — three boys aged 10, 9 and 7, and two girls aged 6 and 2 — was brought to the attention of the authorities when a family friend who was worried about their well-being reported the case.

The 27-year-old Emirati woman, who was granted custody of the children after her divorce from their father, would direct the nannies to lock her children away whenever she visits their house and avoided seeing them, Colonel Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Murr, Director of Human Rights Department of Dubai Police said.

The children have been temporarily placed under the custody of their father, who is now married to another woman until the court decides on their fate, Major Ishaq Mohammad, Director of the Woman and Child Protection Section, said adding that the move was made to ensure the children’s safety after their mother breached the terms of custody.

“We have sought the legal opinion of Public Prosecution on the charges to be pressed against the mother, and we want to do so under a specific article of the law that incriminates a legal guardian who leaves or neglects the children under his or her guardianship, to set a precedent for any similar cases in the future,” Mohammad said.

Financial difficulties

The mother failed to give a satisfactory explanation as to why she left her children. She said financial difficulties prevented her from taking care of them, although her estranged husband was fully responsible for their expenses, police said.

“The mother’s family knew about the children’s situation and used to visit them occasionally, but the children were being raised by domestic help, which in no way can replace a mother,” Mohammad said.

“She said she was facing financial difficulties and a huge amount of debts, and we offered to help her and asked her to go back home and live with her children, but she failed to respond,” he said.

Although the 43-year-old father of the children was not ordered by court to pay alimony, he was fully responsible for their financial needs as they were residing in a house he owned. The father is also paying for the nannies who took care of them, according to Maj Mohammad.

The father is expected to file a new custody case before the court.

“The father understands that he will have to abide by the court’s decision, even if it grants custody to another family member,” Mohammad said.