# Is Dubai safe for our kids? What do you think?



## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

I lived in Dubai for 4 years, my husband - 10 years. We know very well that it is not as safe as people think, however in comparison with our home countries it is still a way better.
And what do you think? Do you feel comfortable to raise your kids here or you prefer them to grow back home?
Just interesting...


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Compared to most countries the UAE is very safe. There are crimes, which are not always reported, but these are frequently in specific groups and most people are unlikely to come across them. 

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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

We are from Houston Texas. I feel safety here for my family is fantastic compared to where we came from. I still wont let my kids go run the streets but that is just me being a good parent, or over protective, but I dont care. I am thankful to beable to raise my kids in this enviroment compared to Houston. I still read my local news website and kids in elementary school getting caught with loaded guns and drugs from thier parents stash and it only gets worse as they get older. So yes I do feel safer, but within reason.


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Yeh, I agree 100%, there should be limits as much as we feel it's safe. I know some parents, who leave their kids of 4-5 y.o. in the shopping malls Magic Planet and go shopping. Isn't it easy thinking?
Moscow is equal to Houston I assume. There are no guns in the schools, but lots of drugs in the city, many drunk people driving and you can't leave your bag even for a second without observation as it will end up missing wallet... 
Love Dubai for that!


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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

In texas you take a 1 day class that costs 100usd and you get a lic. to carry a gun legaly. Most of the gangsters just carry one anyway as the cops dont ask you for you concealed handgun lic as they would be asking almost everyone they see to see thier lic. Then you add in the ilegal aliens coming in from mexico that have no education and cant get a real job so what do they do? They get themselves a gun and start robbing and killing people. Then you have the black ghetto gangsters that will kill ya for no reason too. Then you have the wanna be "black" white gangsters that shoot and kill people to try and show the other two groups that they can be cool too. Then you have the white hillbillies who carry guns to stop the other 3 groups from messin with them. so its one big cluster----.

Dont even get started on drugs, you are basically an outcast if you dont do them. ITs pathetic. And one day I know I will move back to that damn city. not looking forward to it.


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## buddyab (Nov 5, 2009)

i knew that your husband is Arabic 
can i know where he is from and i will tell you which is better to your kids


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

doesn't sound that optimistic, Mr.Big (((( better get your contract extended...
i am impressed, not in a good way....


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## udifi (Jan 29, 2010)

well now in this world situation of crises we must be more careful! there's a lot going on now.. murders, thefts, what not... couple of months earlier police found a beheaded body in the trash container not far from Qusais!


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## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

It's a hell of a lot safer than any European country or North American country I've been to.

lack of gang crime, drugs, paedophillia, teenage pregnancies and STDs being spread is certainly in Dubai's favour. I'm sure there are still isolated cases, but the safety is a hell of a lot better.

The only thing unsafe is traffic, and I'd imagine children are at risk of being hit by a car.

I'd imagine if you are from rural areas/villages where everyone knows each other, then the safety will be much more comparable, but if you are from a big city (I'm a Londoner) then it's a no-brainer really.


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Buddyab, he is Jordanian
So far we didn't find better place for our family than UAE, any ideas?


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

M123, agree. One comment - it's us, parents who make it unsafe for our kids on the roads. I am shocked to see parents, who let their kids get half out of the car while driving or keep infants on the front seat along with the mother.

Mothers, buy a baby chair and forget about front seats while you are having infants. Not a big deal, I belive!

Fathers, seatbelt your kids and don't let them open half window and get their little body out!

Honestly, it's heartbreaking to see it, or to correct myself, it's eyes freaking )))


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## crash123 (Jan 29, 2010)

I agree with most of the comments - Compared to many other countries.. Dubai seems to be a lot safer.. but again.. u cant be sure about any security anywhere in the world. Nonetheless, Dubai is much safer as compared to some other countries


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## Dannysigma (Feb 22, 2009)

Compared to anywhere else I've lived (13 cities across 3 continents) it is very, very safe. In Austin Texas I got used to hearing people shot nearby and it not even making the front page of the local paper (great, great city otherwise though). In London there was a stabbing on the school playground at the last school I worked at and 6 of the kids from the school I was at prior to that were arrested for murder in the year that I was there. One of the pupils at another London school at which I worked stabbed the headteacher of the next school along to death. One kid at a school I taught at in Doncaster was murdered in the 2 years I was there. In the three years I taught in Devon, four of our Year 11 boys were raped (by the father of another boy). In Stoke on Trent where I grew up, 3 of my friends (including my best friend) had died of heroin overdoses before they were 23. Here, the biggest problems I have come across so far is pupils dropping litter on the playground.


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## buddyab (Nov 5, 2009)

let me tell you about arabic people what they do

0-7 years live in Dubai or outside to let the children learn English - because only arabic in Jordan -
7 - graduate from university ( they will be in safe and they will know how to contact with people very will better than dubai the child will be lazy and stupid from staying at home most of his time )
after that going out side to save money and take experience
Jordan Aman good for kids


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Thank you Buddyab, i know about arabic people )))


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## Nomad80 (Jan 13, 2010)

*Ella_and_Yousef* I've grown up here since I was a kid - I'm critical of a whole lot of things here , but one thing you'll never find me ranting about is safety here. I've grown so used to the environment here that I really expect quite an adjustment curve once I move on. Aside from plain common sense - this place is just ace in the safety department


*Dannysigma* man that's funny - If i ever moved to the southside of the US - Austin is where I wanted to go - I hoped that gun violence would be less than the rest of the state since it was supposedly mostly liberal hipsters there


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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

Nomad80 said:


> *Dannysigma* man that's funny - If i ever moved to the southside of the US - Austin is where I wanted to go - I hoped that gun violence would be less than the rest of the state since it was supposedly mostly liberal hipsters there


It used to be that way, but too many people found out about how cool Austin was so they moved thier in the masses. Now all the hippies are getting pissed and putting signs everywhere that say "keep austin wierd". So now basically it sucks and the traffic is a nightmare because there are too many people thier. About 10 years ago Austin was the **** man, I still love the place but I wouldnt live thier anymore. I think you would have to go west coast (san fran) or seatle to feel the hippy scene, but damn exspensive kinda like dubai.

Nomad, dude we need to chill sometime. holler


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## Dannysigma (Feb 22, 2009)

I was in Austin in the early 90s and it was still very, very cool back then. Gun violence was low for Texas - only 50 recorded drive-by shootings a year compared to 800 in San Antonio. We just happened to live in a part where there were lots of shootings. It was rumoured that the nightclub across the road was one of the spots where you had to shoot someone for initiation into one of the Houston gangs. We never went in.


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## Nomad80 (Jan 13, 2010)

mrbig said:


> Nomad, dude we need to chill sometime. holler


word. A beer one of these days sounds good to me man.


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## chunkykitty (Jul 20, 2009)

i have been robbed twice in my country during DAY LIGHT! i said take my money, gold and let me just go, alive. i mentioned in one of the posts that in my country u can be robbed or raped or killed quiet easy. today i got phone call from home that one of my cousin been killed, over the money.... he was 42, 2 kids . Yes Dubai is much much safer than any country, for kids and adults.


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Chunkykitty, sorry to hear that...


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I am from Austin. The place has attracted a whole range of people and the great thing about austin is it truly is a melting pot. I LOVE it! This place has lots of diversity where you see the individual cultures, but in Austin it truly just meshes together. Go to Austin if you have the chance! 

I have to say that overall I feel very safe here. In my short time heer though, I find that there is crime here, you just wont hear about it. Things do not get reported (the living together and not being married thing comes to mind) and there is a bit of a false sense of safeness here. A ladies car got broken into and she didnt report it. She said it was of no use. I don't get the sense that the police themselves do a whole lot. It seems to be the deportation if one does something and gets caught keeps alot of the crime at bay. I do not find going out and running unsafe that i would get raped just the staring at. 

That is what I see, but I have only been here for not quite three months.


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Jynxgirl, as was mentioned there are obviousely things happening here, that are not announced however it's still much better than anywhere else. 
Don't you feel more protected here as a woman, knowing if someone opens his mounth and insalt you with bad words, you may just call the police, while in our countries back home they would never respond to such a case.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I am insulted on a regular basis dealing with the continuous 'how much' comments. And this is coming from UK people for the most part who assume I am a russian prostitute. How or why I have no idea, as I am not a thin prostitute looking women, very much a thick 12/14 soccer build type women. This is the reality of my life, living in the place I am at in Dubai (which definitely isn't the best). 

As said, for the most part, this place is a very safe place but just be mindful that a lot of things that happen, are not reported. Its not completely safe as no where is. Where I am from its not really that unsafe, but the news reports every little thing that happens, so it just seems to be that much worse then what it really is.


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## Xpat (Nov 12, 2008)

This was some time ago.... I went to my far off relative's house in Dubai who has been living here for quite sometime and he told me one late night he saw a russain woman being dragged on street with her hair tied to the car and her head bleeding, she was yelling out , some guys came over stabbed her and put her on trunk then drove away. He was in complete shock and couldnt eat for three days and just puked. Didnt report to police cos obviously he thought it was done by soembody high up and with recent Essa case verdict ppl wont even bother to report crime.


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Jynxgirl, prostitutes are not only Russians
I don't understand the link between profession and nationality here...


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Its just so far, they have said, "Oh, I thought you were Russian." 

The point is for the thread, that it is overall quite safe.


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Ella_and_Yousef said:


> Jynxgirl, prostitutes are not only Russians
> I don't understand the link between profession and nationality here...


In Dubai, most of the fair skinned prostitutes are Russian, hence the assumption. 

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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

As a Russian from Moscow, let me correct you all - Russian speaking person is not always Russian. For your personal information - most of them are from Uzbekistan, Kazahstan, etc.


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Ella_and_Yousef said:


> As a Russian from Moscow, let me correct you all - Russian speaking person is not always Russian. For your personal information - most of them are from Uzbekistan, Kazahstan, etc.


Fine, but I am simply telling you what the broad assumption is in this town. Most people do not make the distinction between the old USSR and all the numerous newer states.

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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

To draw the line, I never had such an experience in UAE, so I assume it goes back to the lady, how she is dressed up and looks like


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Just like all Indians and Pakistanis are construction workers/ taxi drivers who stare


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Ella_and_Yousef said:


> To draw the line, I never had such an experience in UAE, so I assume it goes back to the lady, how she is dressed up and looks like


Not necessarily, but I am sure Jynxgirl can deny that herself...

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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I dont even go running in what I would normally at home as to try and not get looks. I run in yoga like **** pants and a tshirt, no tank top or running type tight knit shorts that would be WAY more comfortable to run in. And the time I was at the airport I was in jeans and a blouse that was vneck but not extreme, and tennis shoes.

I am not in heels and flirty stuff.

+++ wow, you cant say name brands???


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Jynxgirl said:


> I dont even go running in what I would normally at home as to try and not get looks. I run in yoga like **** pants and a tshirt, no tank top or running type tight knit shorts that would be WAY more comfortable to run in. And the time I was at the airport I was in jeans and a blouse that was vneck but not extreme, and tennis shoes.
> 
> I am not in heels and flirty stuff.
> 
> +++ wow, you cant say name brands???



As far as I am aware brand names are not on the 'asterix list'. I am curious to know what it was now :confused2:


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

nnnniiiikkkkeeee


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Jynxgirl said:


> nnnniiiikkkkeeee


The brand with the swoosh. (based on an ancient Greek word meaning victory)

I have absolutely no idea why it becomes **** :confused2:

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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

adidas **** reebok puma

+++ just had to check what it would do with other ones. Someone doesnt like the swooshing company.


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

i started very decently about kids ))))
look where it ended up - with prostitutes... always like this )))))


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Sorry, you made the comment that women dont get disrespected here  

Overall its pretty safe.


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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

how much? lulz


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

Definatly safer than where I from.
All I have to do is compare the news headlines to realise.


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## udifi (Jan 29, 2010)

mrbig said:


> how much? lulz


There!
no escape from the reality of UAE )))


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## udifi (Jan 29, 2010)

its just a stereotype here if Russian - then prostitute!
it's really annoying that u have to prove your not a "himalayan camel" in this county!!
my husband's parents almost had a heart attack when he told them he's dating a Russian girl!!


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

Funny case happened to me yesterday. I asked local lady in the elevator of Dubai Mall to be more carefull when she was fixing her sheila as she almost hit my small daughter. Guess what, she called me pork eater in Arabic )))))))))) I dont eat pork at all, so my husband got very offended and asked the lady to watch her mouth. Obviousely she didn't expect that we understand Arabic.
That's where danger is coming from ))))))))))))) but as long as it's not in the headlines, Dubai is still safe ))))))))) hahahaha
P.S. Apart from that lady I know many educated locals, way more polite and humble than other nationalities, so UAE people visiting this site, please don't get upset with my comment. It's just a single case


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

It's weird to hear all that sort of stories about shablons that Russians are shushu (prostitutes, but I prefer this arabic word, it's more respectable)))))
Since I am in UAE the only comment I hear from people when they know I am Russian is that they like our President )))


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## udifi (Jan 29, 2010)

hey.. thats all they know about us )))) but sure i know lots of local people who are really very polite and respectful especially if they see a foreigner in a scarf ))) they feel happy i guess ))) 
i really think than in this country it is better to wear abaya coz people will respect u more.. and u dont need to stand in queues ))))) hehehehehe


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## Xpat (Nov 12, 2008)

Ella_and_Yousef said:


> To draw the line, I never had such an experience in UAE, so I assume it goes back to the lady, how she is dressed up and looks like


Also depends on size of mammary glands and cleavage (as told by a bouncer)


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## chunkykitty (Jul 20, 2009)

)))


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## Free_Spirit (Aug 30, 2009)

exactly, I just didn't want to mention this ))))


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## KPisupati (Jan 8, 2010)

I am so looking forward to our move to Dubai for exactly that reason! I can't even begin to tell you what the public schools are like here in Minnesota. My daughter knows of 18 girls that are currently pregnant in the highschool. She has witnessed more in that public schools then you would in an action movie. It is not just this school either. They have what they call a "zero" tolerance policy which is an absolute joke. Anyway, be thankful you are already there!


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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

KPisupati said:


> I am so looking forward to our move to Dubai for exactly that reason! I can't even begin to tell you what the public schools are like here in Minnesota. My daughter knows of 18 girls that are currently pregnant in the highschool. She has witnessed more in that public schools then you would in an action movie. It is not just this school either. They have what they call a "zero" tolerance policy which is an absolute joke. Anyway, be thankful you are already there!


The schooling here is fantastic. You are going to be very happy.

By the way, kpisupati, did you happen to meet with Assad here in dubai that showed you around and brought you to some americans house in green community to meet with them and get thier perspective on Dubai and show you thier house?


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## KPisupati (Jan 8, 2010)

Nope we haven't house hunted yet. Hopefully in March. I am sure I will have bunches of ? Before then!


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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

ok, we had just had some people over from Min that were going to move to Dubai. They had a daughter and 2 dogs like yourself so I was intrested to see if you were the ones. Sorry, thanks


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