Dubai Police tell father not to force his son into taking up a specialisation in college

As part of their continuous efforts towards preserving and protecting children's rights, the Dubai Police have recently resolved a case filed by a 17-year-old adolescent and his mother who sought the Force’s assistance in persuading the father not to force his son into studying a specific specialisation in college.

The Child and Women Protection Department at Dubai Police advocated the child's case and invoked Article (12) of the Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 concerning the child's rights, locally known as Wadeema's Law, and granted the 17-year-old boy his right to express his opinion freely and to be heard.

Major Dr Ali Muhammad Al Matroushi, Director of the Child and Women Protection at the General Department of Human Rights, confirmed that the law states that every child shall have the right to express his/her opinion freely according to his/her age and maturity, commensurate with the public order and morals and with the laws in force at the State. It also ensures that every child gets the opportunity to express his/her opinion concerning the decisions taken in his/her regard within the limits of the laws in force.

"Dubai Police pay special attention to each case reported to the Child and Women Protection Department. We make sure that this kind of family disagreements are amicably resolved as we value and prioritise family bonds and children’s interests above all. We don't take any legal action as long as the cases are settled by persuasion and open-minded discussions between the parties," Al Matroushi explained.

Meanwhile, the Head of Child Protection Section at the Women and Children Protection Department, Maitha Mohammed Al Balushi, elaborated further that the new graduate approached the Department with his mother and was heavily concerned about his father's expectations to follow in his footsteps by studying and working in the same field.

"The father was disappointed that his son's grades did not qualify him to enrol in the same college as his. He tried to force the boy into retaking high school to score higher grades," "The son was proud of his father's success in his job, but could not despite his effort to fulfil the father's wishes," Al Balushi continued.

"We contacted the father and urged him to respect his son's right to express opinions on matters that concerned him. We also encouraged the boy to respect and always consider his father's feelings and opinions when making life-changing decisions," she added.

The father agreed to leave the matter in his son's hands, and the disagreement was finally resolved without infringement of the child's rights.