UAE sacks five border guards for 'wooing' girls

Five UAE border guards were sentenced to three years imprisonment for using their post on the UAE borders to abuse women, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court ruled on Wednesday.

They were found guilty of breaching public morals and abusing their positions to woo "girls and women" trying to trying to cross the border through chatting, requesting telephone numbers and exchanging communication with their victims.

The men were charged with "tearing apart women's modesty" and damaging the reputation of the border security services, local media reported.

The men confessed to their crime, which was supported by CCTV footage and content of their mobile phones.

Alongside the prison sentence, the offenders were also ordered by the court to be removed from their posts and to pay a fine of 100,000 ($27,225).

Last year, some 1,000 cases of abuse against women were recorded on the UAE. As a largely conservative country, victims often shy away from reporting abuse, particularly domestic violence.

Human Rights Watch found in 2018 that the country's constitution continues to permit "chastisement by a husband to his wife", as long as the husband's abuse "does not leave physical marks".

Martial rape is also not considered a crime, according to Article 53 of the penal code.

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