Rima Sabban, a sociology professor, says children of divorcees often face discrimination.
Rima Sabban, a sociology professor, says children of divorcees often face discrimination.

Broken homes 'need government fix'



ABU DHABI // Institutional support is needed for families affected by divorce in a society where the issue is still stigmatised, experts say.

The key problem lay in the way parents and children of divorce were perceived in Arab society, said Rima al Sabban, an associate professor of sociology at Zayed University.

"Many families discriminate and don't accept the child of a separated family," Ms Sabban said. "The government needs to establish institutions to address these issues. They need to be tackled more in the social development aspect of education."

___________

More

• Divorced parents make talk of marriage tough

Also

• More Emirati women marrying foreigners
• Young couples need more support
• Divorce problems hit close to home
• Marriages to foreigners bring some unique cultural and legal hurdles

___________

Wedad Lootah, a family counsellor with the Dubai Courts, said there is no governmental support for the families of divorce.

Both called for institutions that analyse divorce cases and determine the needs of families. They also called for specialised counsellors in schools that can help children cope, and urged that marriage counselling be better promoted both before and after marriage.

However, Ms Lootah said in terms of financial assistance the personal status law of 2005 stipulates that the husband is required to pay spousal support, which includes child support of Dh600 to Dh1,000 per month and maid salaries. He must either provide a home or pay the rental fees for one, and provide a driver if the wife does not drive.

Should parents have decided previously the children will attend private schools, the husband must pay the tuition.

The Ministry of Social Affairs does provide financial support of Dh4,250 per month in certain cases, such as when the husband is imprisoned, Ms Lootah added.

In 2010, nearly one in five marriages in the UAE ended in divorce, with 44 per cent of couples calling it quits less than a year after tying the knot. Last year, 1,486 divorce certificates were issued for Emirati couples.

Ms Lootah said infidelity was a common reason for divorce for middle- to upper-class families. Other causes cited were hectic lifestyles and long absences from the home due to business. The main reasons among the lower class, meanwhile, involved financial problems and outside interference. While a broken marriage was a struggle for the parents, experts said it was worse for the children. "The kids need support and encouragement, but there is no one to provide this, not even in schools," Ms Lootah said.

"Many become feeble and weak, especially when they compare themselves to other children. Some become very sensitive and cry a lot - or they become violent and delinquent."

Other children develop stress-induced illnesses, such as loss of hair or eczema, Ms Lootah said.

Sharing preliminary results from an academic study during the recent Counselling Arabia conference in Sharjah, Dr Fakir al Gharaibeh, a sociology professor at the American University of Sharjah, said that among children of divorced parents, 45 per cent demonstrated low academic performance and social withdrawal, while almost one-third had eating disorders.

"Age also plays a huge factor," he said. "Divorce at a later stage may demotivate these children to marry in the future, while at a younger stage it may make children vulnerable since the parental relationship is taken away from such an early stage."

However, divorce did not always have a negative impact on children, Ms Sabban said.

In fact, if the relationship between the parents cannot be saved, it may be better for the child in the long run if the parents split.

Custody laws follow Sharia, which states that the mother retains custody of the children until her sons are 11 and her daughters 13, after which they live with the father. However, experts said that custody battles had lately taken an unexpected turn.

"I don't know what's happening these days," Ms Lootah said. "Mothers don't want custody of their children and neither do fathers. It's like their kids are a burden they went to get rid of."

She continued to be an advocate for children of divorce, but said governmental support would be crucial.

"Last year, I filed a request saying we need experts and specialised institutions to deal with these cases because they are deeply affecting our society.

But the project was spiked because of formalities," she said. "I'm not afraid of field work, but I can't find anyone to help me and I can't do it on my own."

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The specs

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The team

Videographer: Jear Velasquez 

Photography: Romeo Perez 

Fashion director: Sarah Maisey 

Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory 

Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG 

Video assistant: Zanong Maget 

Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud  

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
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The specs: McLaren 600LT

Price, base: Dh914,000

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm

Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm

Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km

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Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Company%20profile
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Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Famous left-handers

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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

The specs

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Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Kanguva
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Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Company profile

Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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THE APPRENTICE

Director: Ali Abbasi

Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 3/5

Company%20Profile
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AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD

Apps: 186
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Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

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How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

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What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

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Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now

There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:

1. Rising US interest rates

The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.

Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”

At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.

2. Stronger dollar

High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.” 

3. Global trade war

Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”

4. Eurozone uncertainty

Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”

The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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