LEGAL PROTECTION OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WADEEMA’S LAW AND THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (UNCRC)

Resumen

Human rights protection is quintessential, particularly when it has to do with children. This is a principle that is fundamentally sustained in religions, cultures and throughout legal systems. In this study, we assess the variety of legal protections available to children in the United Arab Emirates under a well-known law (Wadeema’s Law) and its coherence with a well-known global convention (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; UNCRC). A comparative doctrinal analysis is used to identify important gaps that exist within the Wadeema’s Law, especially as related to children’s right to education, health, right to be protected from violence, exploitation and discrimination, child participation and the prioritization of their self-interests. Despite the monumental contribution of Wadeema’s Law to child protection in the UAE, some lacuna still exists when benchmarked against the standards of UNCRC. More so, notwithstanding UAE’s impressive achievements, legal reforms are important if the existing systemic challenges are to be overcome and full compliance with international norms achieved while in proper alignment with Islamic law.