Human rights in Dubai are based on the Constitution and enacted law, which promise equitable treatment of all people, regardless of race, nationality or social status, per Article 25 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates. Despite this, Freedom House has stated: "Extreme forms of self-censorship are widely practiced, particularly regarding issues such as local politics, culture, religion, or any other subject the government deems politically or culturally sensitive. The Dubai Media Free Zone (DMFZ), an area in which foreign media outlets produce print and broadcast material intended for foreign audiences, is the only arena where the press operates with relative freedom."
Human rights organizations have expressed concern about violation of human rights in Dubai. Most notably, some of the 250,000 foreign laborers in the city allegedly live in conditions described by Human Rights Watch as "less than humane". The mistreatment of foreign workers was a subject of the 2009 documentary, Slaves of Dubai.
Foreign workers and labour rights
Article 25 of the Constitution of the UAE provides for the equitable treatment of persons with regard to race, nationality, religious beliefs or social status. Foreign laborers in Dubai often live in conditions described by Human Rights Watch as being "less than humane", and was the subject of the documentary, Slaves of Dubai. A 2006 NPR report quoted Baya Sayid Mubarak, the Indian consul for labor and welfare in Dubai, as saying: "the city's economic miracle would not be possible without armies of poorly paid construction workers from the Indian sub-continent". The NPR report stated that foreign construction workers lived "eight and ten to a room in labor camps" and that "many are trapped in a cycle of poverty and debt, which amounts to little more than indentured servitude."
BBC News has reported that: "local newspapers often carry stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. They are not allowed to move jobs and if they leave the country to go home they will almost certainly lose the money they say they are owed." Additionally, some of the workers have allegedly been forced to give up their passports upon entering Dubai, making it difficult to return home. In September 2005, the Minister of Labour ordered one company to pay unpaid salaries within 24 hours after workers protested and published the name of the offending company.
In December 2005, the Indian consulate in Dubai submitted a report to the Government of India detailing labor problems faced by Indian expatriates in the emirate. The report highlighted delayed payment of wages, substitution of employment contracts, premature termination of services and excessive working hours as being some of the challenges faced by Indian workers in the city.
On 21 March 2006, workers at the construction site of Burj Khalifa, upset over bus timings and working conditions, rioted, damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction tools.Labour in the UAE Gulf News The Great Recession affected the working class of Dubai, with many workers not being paid but also being unable to leave the country.
The city's discriminatory legal system and unequal treatment of foreigners has been brought to light by its attempts to cover up information on the 2007 rape of a 15-year-old French-Swiss national, by three locals, one of whose HIV-positive status was hidden by the authorities for several months; and by the recent mass imprisonment of migrant laborers, most of whom were from Asia, on account of their protests against poor wages and living conditions. Despite protests by Human Rights Watch and several governments, companies allegedly continue to take the passports of workers and refuse to pay promised salaries. These practices have been labeled as "modern slavery" by some organizations. In 2013, a Norwegian woman, Marte Dalelv, was arrested and jailed on charges of adultery, perjury, and consuming alcohol after reporting a colleague for raping her. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison, but was pardoned the same month she was sentenced.
In 2012, a workers' camp in Sonapur had their water cut for 20 days and electricity for 10 days, as well as no pay for three months. They were told that they had been forewarned that the lease was about to expire, and their option was to go to the Sharjah camp, which the workers did not want to do because it was "very dirty and [had] a foul smell.
Prior to the mid 2000s, camel owners made use of child jockeys, most of whom were kidnapped from other parts of the world. After international outcry, the country decided to slowly put an end to this practice. There are still, however, some violations of this ban.
There are various examples of local folk ill-treating people, just on the basis of nationality or race. In one instance, a local taxi passenger caused a serious injury to a foreign driver. The passenger would not follow the driver's instructions to wear his seatbelt and not eat in taxi, and gave the reason that he was an Emirati (Emiratis being the native population and citizens of the United Arab Emirates).
The problem of stateless people (known as Bidoon) has been around for many years. Many have languished without proper care, even though many of them are natives of the land. These people have not been able to complete their education, secure jobs and have found it hard to marry. A small number of them have been able to acquire UAE nationality or that of Comoros Island.
Dubai law While Homosexuality is criminalized, the United Arab Emirates 2023 Human Rights report issued by the U.S. State Department stated that there were no known reports of arrests or prosecutions for consensual same-sex sexual conduct, nor of violence against LGBTQI+ individuals.
Kissing in public places is illegal, even for married heterosexual couples. The law is strictly enforced: Expats in Dubai are deported for kissing in public, while Emiratis face imprisonment or a fine. A single complainant's testimony is enough for conviction. A British man jailed and deported for an "innocuous peck on the cheek" stated that his conviction was based only on a two-year-old child as eyewitness, while his four defense witnesses were not even heard at court.
Dubai has a modest dress code. The dress code is part of Dubai's criminal law. Sleeveless tops and short dresses are not allowed at Dubai's malls. Clothes must be in appropriate lengths.
Apostasy is a crime punishable by death in the UAE; in practice this has never been applied. UAE incorporates hudud crimes of Sharia law into its Penal Codeapostasy being one of them.Butti Sultan Butti Ali Al-Muhairi (1996), The Islamisation of Laws in the UAE: The Case of the Penal Code, Arab Law Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 4 (1996), pp. 350-371 Article 1 and Article 66 of UAE's Penal Code requires hudud crimes to be punished with the death penalty,Al-Muhairi (1997), Conclusion to the Series of Articles on the UAE Penal Law. Arab Law Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 4 therefore apostasy is punishable by death in the UAE.
Non-Muslim expatriates can be liable to Sharia rulings on marriage, divorce and child custody. Emirati women must receive permission from male guardian to marry and remarry. The requirement is derived from Sharia, and has been federal law since 2005. In all emirates, it is illegal for Muslim women to marry non-Muslims. In the UAE, a marriage union between a Muslim woman and non-Muslim man is punishable by law, since it is considered a form of "fornication".
During the month of Ramadan, it is illegal to publicly eat, drink, or smoke between sunrise and sunset. Exceptions are made for pregnant women and children. The law applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and failure to comply may result in arrest. In 2008, a Russian woman was put on trial for drinking juice in public during the month of Ramadan. In 2021, Dubai authorities removed the need for restaurants to apply for permits to serve food during Ramadan fasting hours. With this, Dubai's Department of Economic Development (DED) also withdrew the requirement to place screens and curtains over mall courts and restaurants. However, eating in public is still not allowed.
Sharing a hotel room with the opposite sex is prohibited under Dubai's law unless married or closely related. There is to be no display of public affection. Taking pictures of women without their consent is also prohibited.
The extradition process in the UAE is governed by federal law as well as bilateral treaties the UAE has established with other nations. A crucial factor in assessing an extradition request is the principle of dual criminality. According to this principle, the offense for which extradition is requested must be considered a crime in both the requesting country and the UAE. Therefore, if the alleged offense is not recognized as a crime under UAE law, the extradition request may be rejected.
Religious freedom
Islam is the official religion in Dubai. A policy of religious toleration allows non-Muslims to practice their faith in a private residence or official place of worship, or they can petition the government for a land grant and permission to build a religious institution to hold religious services, which may be a slow process.
Thirteen Christian Churches exist, along with facilities for Hindus, Sikhs, and Bahá'ís. Non-Muslim groups are generally allowed to meet and advertise their events, but the law prohibits and punishes proselytizing.
There is also a Jewish synagogue in the Al Wasl district area of Dubai.
Freedom of expression
Human rights groups have expressed concerns about freedom of expression in Dubai, which is often limited by enacted laws or Ministerial edicts in the name of protecting traditional Islamic morality or the image and reputation of Dubai and its leaders.
In 2007, the Dubai government shut down two Pakistani television channels, Geo News and ARY One. Their entertainment, but not news and political programming, were eventually permitted to broadcast in Dubai. The Dubai Ministry of Culture and Media banned the exhibition of a play, "Kholkhal", just hours before it was scheduled to be performed at the 8th annual Gulf Theater Festival. While journalists can no longer be jailed for doing their job, other legal actions can be taken against them. Several members of the Dubai press remain on a government list as being banned from being published within the Emirate. There is also reportedly a degree of self-censorship that occurs, for fear of governmental sanctions, of certain topics that are critical of government policy, the royal family, or may offend traditional Islamic morality.
In July 2013, a video was uploaded onto YouTube, which depicted a local driver hitting an expatriate worker, following a road related incident. Using part of his keffiyeh, the local driver whips the expatriate and also pushes him around, before other passers-by intervene. A few days later, Dubai Police announced that both the local driver and the person who filmed the video have been arrested. It was also revealed that the local driver was a senior UAE government official. The video once again brings into question the way that lower classes of foreign workers are treated. Police in November 2013 also arrested a US citizen and some UAE citizens, in connection with a YouTube parody video which allegedly portrayed Dubai and its youth in a bad light. The video was shot in areas of Satwa, Dubai and featured gangs learning how to fight each other using simple weapons, including shoes, the aghal, etc. Eventually, the US citizen was released; in a later interview with the BBC, the Sheikh of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad mentioned that his treatment was unfair.