British Woman Gang Raped In Dubai Faces Jail Time While Her Attackers Flew Home To England
Marie Claire
This case is one of many similar stories in Dubai, according to Radha Stirling, founder and director of Detained in Dubai.
Stirling told The Independent, "Police regularly fail to differentiate between consensual intercourse and violent rape. Victims go to them expecting justice, and end up being prosecuted. They not only invalidate their victimisation, they actually punish them for it."
Under the UAE's sharia law, it is extremely difficult to convict someone of rape, as a confession from the rapist or witness statements from four adult men are required. This means that cases are often heavily skewed in the defendant's favour.
Stirling added that this made it unsafe for victims to report rape in the UAE, as they would suffer punishment themselves.
“The horrible case at hand shows that it is still not safe for victims to report these crimes to the police without the risk of suffering a double punishment.”