To think this mother should be ashamed of herself

[2boyzNosleep]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2zq1yl0ko

17yr old girl & 18 yr old boy hook up on holiday in Dubai. I believe they may have met over there. The girls mother finds messages on the girls phone when they return to the UK. The mother reports the guy to Dubai police. He gets arrested as sex with anyone under 18yrs is illegal in Dubai. He has now been sentenced to 1 year in prison.

I haven't looked into it much, as far as I can tell it was consensual, a charity called Detained in Dubai have been trying to help (legally I think).

Am I alone in thinking how bloody spiteful the mother is?!? The girl is 17 years old and I think in another report saw that she turned 18 shortly after returning.

I’m not shifting any goal posts. What these two young people did is a universe away from the level of criminality in your suggestions. My example of two French teenagers is basically like-for-like.

Would you be in favour of sending a 16 year old French boy to prison in the UK if he had consensual sex with a 15 year old French girl while they were both in London? Because he broke the law?

First you said they should not be punished because they didn’t know the laws of the country they were in. Next you are saying it is because you don’t think any harm was caused. Now you are creating a straw man concerning laws in a different country. There are lots of laws in other countries that I disagree with and some countries I would avoid because of them. It is why I check before I travel. That includes looking at speed limits before driving in France.

I'm really confused, I thought the Mum reported him to the Dubai Police on her return to England, apparently they live in London, is there an expectation that one has to report a crime that doesn't constitute a crime in this country, I am 100% sure you don't have to do why did she?

Why can’t you just answer the question?

I didn’t say they shouldn’t be punished because they didn’t know the age of consent. I didn’t say they shouldn’t be punished because they haven’t harmed anyone. The first was more to do with illustrating how it may not have even occurred to them that they were breaking the law- it’s called context. The second was in response to your long list of false equivalencies, to which you have added by mentioning the speed limit in France?!

Now, are you going to answer my question, or not?

But she reported the crime in this country where that law doesn't apply.

Glad the GoFundMe is going well

Which question? Would I agree with a sentence that goes against the UK sentencing guidance in a hypothetical situation? No, I am not going to engage with straw men

I think sex outside of marriage is illegal and punishable for women in dubai

"Those of you saying you need to know the laws of the country you go to, don't be so ridiculous."

So many posters here and rude and entitled. How arrogant of people to dismiss the laws of another country because they are different to ours.

Cannot believe the number of posters saying the girl broke the law too when she is underage under Dubai law. As far as they are concerned, this is statutory rape. Consent of a minor is irrelevant

Just because the UK turns a blind eye in similar cases of 15 or 16 years old does not mean Dubai must do the same here I mean we left the EU largely because of sovereignty and control then happily whinge about other countries setting their own laws being "ridiculous."

As far as the " it is legal in the UK " argument so what? Imagine the outrage if a foreigner broke UK laws on sexual crimes then argued they should not be prosecuted as it is legal in their own country.

It is behold on anyone to know the laws in countries they visit. Dubai is well known for being strict on laws on sexual activity for single adults. The lad is young and very unlucky to have ended up in this situation but underage sex was a risk. This is literally a case of "fuck around and find out"

No it isn’t.

The law changed two years ago.

Sex outside marriage is no longer illegal, provided the two people are both single. At the same time that that was legalised, however, the age of consent was raised to 18. (It was previously 14.)

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/legal/explained-new-uae-law-on-unmarried-parenting-sexual-assault-extramarital-affairs

LOL, says you with your FGM/drink driving/domestic slavery comparisons. Alright then!

But the Mum and daughter are in England and reported back in England so they weren't in another country complying with their laws they were in England.

Agree, absolute shit hole, I wouldn't go if you paid me.

"But the Mum and daughter are in England and reported back in England so they weren't in another country complying with their laws they were in England."

They are not the ones who "fucked around and found out"...

due to the fact that she had to hide and conceal her holiday fling

How do we know this?

Have the girls family made a statement?

This.

The right for teens to have sex and enjoy it (something I am not against) is, in world terms, a minority belief, and I might add a relatively new one to us.

The majority of countries in the world do not have that culture. They do not want their teens having sex and especially not the girls.

This girl could have come from anywhere in Africa and the parents would be apoplectic. Ditto India. Ditto most of Southern Europe and Eastern Europe. And so on.

I’m really surprised how many people are talking about the laws in the UK having any relevance here. They were not in the UK and the situation in Dubai (whether you agree with it or not) means that he committed a crime (and she was the victim of a crime, “consenting” or not - she would be viewed as not legally able to consent due to being under 18). What is relevant is the law of the country where the incident occurred.

I am also quite disgusted at the glee people are showing for the mother/daughter being named and shamed. You don’t have to condone or agree with what the mother did, and honestly, it wouldn’t have been my response if I was the mother but it’s almost laughable that because she has cultural beliefs stricter than “general” in the UK, she is vilified but the male who committed a crime in another country shouldn’t be held responsible for his actions because it would be okay if it happened in the UK?

I mean, I don’t support the beliefs and laws in Dubai, so I don’t go there but I do abide by the law where I do go/live, as do most people and as most people expect of visitors or immigrants in their own country.

UAE laws on sex, unmarried cohabitation, consensual and non-consensual sex etc are a hot mess, (though better than before), hastily cobbled together to try to accommodate tourism/Westerners whilst still keeping native women under the thumb of the patriarchy.

No sane person should visit the UAE and if they really must go, then they should conduct a close and thorough examination of the laws before going, - because it's quite easy to end up in prison or sentenced to death.

Equally, don't go to the USA etc if you're pregnant.

This woman who reported the boy, she probably didn't know the law in depth. Her report could have resulted in him being sentenced to death.

I've said upthread that I have a couple of friends who moved there (for work purposes). I have several former colleagues who have gone out to visit them. I'll certainly not go there.

I once had a bad experience in a European country where women were not safe going around on their own. That was more than 40 yrs ago, so matters may have improved. I'm now probably too old to get that kind of hassle, but I have no intention of finding out and no intention of visiting any other country where women are treated like second-class citizens.

Many countries in the world do not value daughters. Female infanticide happens. And in these 'backward' countries, the age of consent is often dismally low, with girls being married off without their 'informed' consent.

Parents may be 'apoplectic' to discover their 17 yo daughter has had consensual sex out of wedlock, but whatever their culture, they have no right to control their 17 yo daughter or judge her or condemn her.

If there birthdays were within the same year and say, they were at school together. I wouldn’t think nothing of it. Happened in my year group often. Someone turned 16 a few months before the other, the 1 still 15 wasn’t getting dropped like a hot potato. And it wasn’t just with boys. Most the relationships between people in my year, it was the girls who were older.

but whatever their culture, they have no right to control their 17 yo daughter or judge her or condemn her.

Well, actually they do, unfortunately.

Many countries in the world do not value daughters. Female infanticide happens. And in these 'backward' countries, the age of consent is often dismally low, with girls being married off without their 'informed' consent.

Sadly many of your points are true of many but not of all.

Some cultures, without hating their daughters or sons, have different belief systems about family, sexual relations, roles of women and girls and so on.

Again, we are the odd ones out on this issue (not that I want to change us...).

What “It” are you referring to?

I think it's a horrible thing to do. Been to Dubai a lot and the laws are very strict and you should realise that. They also are very unbending so there's no chance of not being prosecuted if you transgress. However they weren't reported by anyone in Dubai but by the mum which is really awful given the above. Once reported it's almost inevitable that this boy would end up in prison.