Prudent Prosecution of Attempted Suicide
Prudent prosecution of attempted suicide
National Editorial
Oct 1, 2012
It is difficult not to feel sympathy for the Ethiopian maid whose story unfolded in the Misdemeanour Court in Dubai last week. As The National reported yesterday, AM, 24, was thrown out of her sponsor's home after a complaint about her work.
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When she asked for the three months' salary owed to her to be sent to her family in Ethiopia, she was told her sponsor did not have the money. With nowhere to go, she simply walked out into the middle of a road and stood there.
When police approached her, she told them that she had meant to end her life. AM, who could not even give the police directions to the villa where she had been employed, was arrested despite her obvious state of distress.
"I found myself thrown away and I thought of my poor family back home," she said. "I felt desperate and I thought I should die."
When the matter went to court, the woman was found guilty of attempted suicide and fined Dh1,000.
Attempting suicide is illegal in the UAE - as it is, or has been until recently, in many other jurisdictions around the world. The police acted according to the letter of the law in arresting AM. But there should be prudence at the level of the police or public prosecution to decide whether going to court is in the public interest.
The verdict is in the past, but there is an argument that the state has a duty of care towards AM. There is also a strong case for the police in Dubai to vigorously pursue the sponsors who failed to pay the money owed to her, and to investigate the agency that employed her and has a continuing responsibility for her well-being.
By standing in traffic, AM put others in danger as well as herself. Yet it must be asked: what is to be gained from punishing a desperate and disorientated woman by applying a fine that she has no means to pay?
The issue here is the prudent application of justice. In such cases, the police or the court should exercise the flexibility to refer the offender to a social worker, psychologist or charity. Attempted suicide cases are always more of a harm to themselves than to society. Justice could still be served, but in a more compassionate way.
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Poor woman. :(
ROFL
Yes someone who is so concerned about her well being she tells the people of Qatar about it should donate it to her.
I wonder how she's going to pay it (although I suppose someone will donate it to her)...
is UAE in qatar ? another irrelevant post
but for me that is still not as bad as penalizing the poor woman 1000Dhs for an act she committed when clearly mentally disturbed and in turmoil!
the law can be an ass sometimes. it is good that such an article was printed. The woman should be given psychiatric help. Her employers found and the case resolved.
Yea therapy is probably best in such a situation.That and rehabilitation.
Well the sponsor told her he didn't have it:
"When she asked for the three months' salary owed to her to be sent to her family in Ethiopia, she was told her sponsor did not have the money."
Though didn't want to is probably more like it.
Surely there should be an agency she could go to to make them pay, rather than being forced to try and kill herself!
Miss Mimi didn't want to, not couldn't afford to..
I don't understand how her sponsors could even sponsor her if they couldn't afford to pay her the pittance they are probably paying her.
Why is it always the maids who get prosecuted? If they run away? If they get raped? etc. The sponsors are never at fault. :(
They acted as per the law but they shouldn't have added a fine to her list of woes when she clearly has no means to pay it.
Her sponsors & the agency should be investigated but they won't be. Who cares for an Ethiopian...
Paramount idea of justice is not to blindly follow the rule book, but to punish the guilty (real), support the victim and most importantly it should be noticeable to society, in general, that justice is done.
Here, prime culprit is the sponsor, rest is consequences.
No wonder UAE law, like many other places, is never referred as great :(
As the fine being issued as a deterrent goes, then it will achieve nil. Cos it would only mean the one determined to kill themselves will make sure they get it right!
They should have executed her as a warning to others trying to commit suicide.
Anyone who attempted suicide is obviously physically and /or mentally distraught and pained. Some may even be completely mentally unstable. Thus they should rightly be not only treated with a great deal of care, but also get counseling etc to ensure they will not do what they did again and succeed!
Penalizing them with a fine is disgusting! And in this woman's case all the more so cos the poor lady actually tried to kill herself due to poverty. Have the authorities then no compassion and sense? Has humanity actually been replaced by greed that you try to make a buck out of a suffering being facing destitution and unemployment ? Sickening! Now where are these so called rights activists when you need em? Truly my heart aches for the lady..