Dubai
Intimidation of women can occur in many forms. It could be verbal abuse, jokes based on gender or sexually offensive conduct. On speaking to Gulf News readers in the UAE, we found that many women, across nationalities, had experienced it.
Reem Waleed, an Emirati student based in Dubai, has been subjected to gender-based intimidation various times, mostly in the form of interactions on the road. In her many experiences, she has noticed that men will follow her as she is driving and many a times, she has had to go off her usual route to avoid them.
She said: “Young men seem to regularly engage in dangerous speed and proximity with their cars if they notice a woman driving. Additionally, I’ve often been blocked in my parking spot by another car as a way to force me into talking to the driver. I think this issue happens to many women and is very condescending. In order to fix it, I think both young men and women need to realise how degrading this process is and that it is no way to meet people.”
Maheen Jafri, a Pakistani national based in Sharjah, was once approached by a man in a mall’s parking lot, offering her a piece of paper with his mobile number written on it. Being alone there, Jafri yelled at him and decided to run to her vehicle.
She said: “He started following me from inside the mall and in the parking lot, when I turned, I saw he had gotten much closer. I only spoke to him because I thought he might need help.”
In another, more traumatic experience, Jafri was visiting a market where she noticed a man pass by her several times in the narrow aisles and finally he touched her as he walked by. “The first time it happened, I thought it was an accident. But, he did it again,” she said.
After that, she just maintained a distance. She blames such behaviour on people’s upbringing. She thinks that some people take the opposite sex for granted and believe that they are entitled to do what they wish. She hopes that more schools and parents would teach children from an early age about respecting women and “how grave this issue is”.
Anjali B Ramchandani, an Indian national based in Dubai, is bothered by the way vendors in the Bur Dubai and Al Karama area try hard to sell products. In her opinion, this is a form of street intimidation, too.
She said: “Some young men call at passers by, particularly women, in a forceful manner. Even if you say no, they follow you to the extent where they walk with you for quite a distance, trying to persuade you to buy something. This is really uncomfortable.”
Their intention might not be wrong, she said, as they are under pressure from their owners. She has also witnessed some men whistling while a woman walks by, while others pass inappropriate comments. She hopes an end is put to this behaviour by penalising those who are troubling potential customers.
Jane Howard, a resident of Abu Dhabi, had a bad experience while riding a taxi in Dubai. Every time she uses public transport, she uses an app on her smartphone to check on traffic in the emirate. During her journey, she noticed a lot of traffic on the route the taxi driver had taken, so she requested to be dropped off at the next bus stop.
She said: “First he said he could not stop and went ahead. I then told him I want to get off at the next bus stop and again he would not stop. We passed by five stops, three of which were clear and empty. I finally told him that he should listen to the customer and let me get off, or I would call the police. Instead of stopping, he threatened me. I immediately dialled 999 and complained because I was starting to get scared.”
She isn’t sure if the taxi driver was apprehended for his actions, but hopes that awareness seminars are conducted with emphasis on how you treat people around you.
The UAE has come up with several laws that aim to protect and preserve a woman’s right to her dignity (see box). And conduct of this nature is considered completely unacceptable. In 2003, Dubai Police launched the Al Ameen services, with a 24-hour hotline for anyone who wants to report an incident of initimidation or harassment. The complaints are anonymous, allowing people to come forward to lodge grievances. People who want to complain can call the toll free number 8004888.
In the beginning, Al Ameen received about 120 calls a day. By August 2005, officials said they received about four to five calls a minute. In a Gulf News report published in March 2006, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim was quoted as saying that this service is like a “public phone for Dubai Police” and “many women who are harassed by men in public take advantage of this service”. In another report published in the newspaper, in March 2013, Brigadier Mohammad Saeed Bakhit, director of electronic services Department at Dubai Police was quoted as saying about Al Ameen: “We aim for mutual relation between police and public in order to protect the stability of the society.”
