# Pregnant and delivered in Dubai outside of marriage



## AugustChristopher (Jul 24, 2013)

I have left the UAE a few months back and a close friend still in the UAE related the following:
She moved into a shared flat and one of the flat mate is a lady with her 5years old girl.

They started getting close together and the story is that the lady had a local bf 5years ago, got pregnant, was promised marriage, delivered in Dubai (don't know how they managed that) and since then she is raising her kid by herself without the kid having a passport, no possibility of going to school etc...

By the way, the boyfriend took her passport at that time for supposedly filing paperworks for their wedding and never returned her the passport..

This situation is completely crazy and she apparently is refusing to go home since she is afraid the UAE authorities will take her kid from her (she knows she has jail time to complete as well but she just doesnt want to lose her kid, which makes sense.

Apparently her embassy told her they can't help her and that's it..

Does anyone have a clue of how to get out of this situation? Or maybe experienced the same case scenario and can share more details?

I indeed read the kid will go to an orphanage in the UAE BTW..
Thanks.
AC


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Sadly there really isn't much she can do. Without a birth certificate, she can never get a passport for the child.

If she files a case against the father, forces him to take a paternity test to prove the child is his, he will probably end up taking custody of the child - custody usually goes to the father under Sharia law.


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

Chocoholic said:


> Sadly there really isn't much she can do. Without a birth certificate, she can never get a passport for the child.
> 
> If she files a case against the father, forces him to take a paternity test to prove the child is his, he will probably end up taking custody of the child - custody usually goes to the father under Sharia law.


I think in some cases custody under Sharia law would be to the mother until the age of 12 or so, but this sounds a very complicated situation and your friend should really look for competent legal advice - the court in abu dhabi has a small human rights office that offers free legal advice, maybe there's something similar (or other private organisations) in Dubai.


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## nagib_91 (Mar 14, 2014)

If i am not mistaken there is a website for such cases forget the name, something like stuckinuae or something like that.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Racing_Goats said:


> I think in some cases custody under Sharia law would be to the mother until the age of 12 or so, but this sounds a very complicated situation and your friend should really look for competent legal advice - the court in abu dhabi has a small human rights office that offers free legal advice, maybe there's something similar (or other private organisations) in Dubai.


Sadly, it will be pretty cut and dried. She got pregnant out of wedlock - jail, followed by deportation, with the child staying in the UAE with next of kin or put in an orphanage. That's pretty much that. There is NO wiggle room in these cases.


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## pictz (May 6, 2012)

AugustChristopher said:


> I have left the UAE a few months back and a close friend still in the UAE related the following:
> She moved into a shared flat and one of the flat mate is a lady with her 5years old girl.
> 
> They started getting close together and the story is that the lady had a local bf 5years ago, got pregnant, was promised marriage, delivered in Dubai (don't know how they managed that) and since then she is raising her kid by herself without the kid having a passport, no possibility of going to school etc...
> ...


This is such a sad situation and unfortunately her only way out would be to serve the jail time and get deported afterwards. Children normally stay with their mothers in jail (don't know till what age but I think 5 years old do), not the best environment to raise a child but her daughters situation is not much better now without being able to access education or (I guess) medical care. Her case is a bit more complicated as her bf is local and if she is in jail and he wants to claim the child, he will get the custody. However, if in 5 years he hasn't cared for the child why would he take the child now. Also, there are legal consequences for him if he goes to court to claim a child concived out of the wedlock. And doubt his family would accept raising an "ilegal" child. 
There is a NGO called Babies Behind Bars, they deal with many cases like hers. Don't think they can offer her legal advice but I'm sure they can give her some information on what will happen if she goes to jail.


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