UAE law: Dh10,000 fine for insults, 'indecent acts' in public or social media

Dubai - If a man impersonates a woman to enter a place where only women are allowed, then it's considered an indecent act.

By Hesham Salah

Published: Mon 17 May 2021, 2:51 AM

The Dubai Public Prosecution has stressed that speech or conduct which undermines public morals exposes residents to legal accountability.

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Lawyers have explained how indulging in indecent acts or insulting anyone in public or on social media in Dubai could land you in hot water.

Karim Hesham Teleb, a senior legal consultant, said committing indecent or insulting acts in public, either via hand gestures, or hurling abuses, or any other offensive or disturbing act, is punishable by a minimum of six months in prison. If the said act is against a woman or a boy aged 15 years or younger, the perpetrator can even face a year in jail and Dh10,000 fine.

Teleb said: “Article 358 of Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the UAE says: Shall be sentenced to detention for a minimum term or six months, whoever has flagrantly committed an indecent act. Shall be sentenced to detention for a minimum term of one year, whoever has perpetrated an indecent act with a girl or boy who did not complete fifteen years of age, even if [the act was] not committed openly.”

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Karim said anyone who insults, abuses or commits indecent acts against a woman can face jail of one year and a fine of Dh10,000, or either penalty. “Such acts might be considered as a sexual harassment in a public place,” he said

Additionally, if a man impersonates a woman to enter a place where only women are allowed, then it's considered an indecent act. For example, if a man wears women’s clothes to enter a center or a salon meant for women, he could be punished by up to a year in prison, or a Dh10,000 fine, or both, Karim noted.

hesham@khaleejtimes.com