On Tuesday, a 31-year-old security guard pleaded guilty to groping a young Emirati girl in a residential complex in the UAE.
The vile assault took place back in March, following the 9-year-old girl's departure from a hypermarket in the complex.
The security guard had approached her from behind and "touched her posterior in an indecent way," according to Gulf News.
The girl immediately began screaming and then told her story to a woman in the area. The child then called her father, explaining what had happened.
"My girl told me that she went to the hypermarket with her school friend … when they were walking back home, the suspect came and groped her from behind," the girl's father said when testifying.
During a court hearing on Tuesday, the suspect admitted to the assault before the Dubai Court of First Instance.
When confronted by the woman, the man fled the scene and disappeared. However, it wasn't long before he was caught.
The girl's father immediately reported the incident to the police.
"She alleged to me that when she asked the suspect why had he touched her, he replied that it happened by mistake. My daughter informed a woman who was around and when the latter confronted the suspect, he ran away," the father said.
The suspect was arrested after the girl identified him on CCTV cameras.
A court ruling will be heard on May 20.
Sexual harassment in the UAE
In 2010, more than half of Emirati women questioned in a survey said they would not report sexual assault or rape to police.
This is probably due to the fact that there exists no special legislation in the country protecting individuals from sexual harassment. However, the country's Penal Code does incriminate any "scandalous and disgraceful act."
In fact, Articles 358 and 359 of the penal code provide clear-cut laws when it comes to certain incidents.
Article 358:
"Whoever openly commits an indecent and disgraceful act shall be punished by detention for a period of at least six months. Whoever commits a disgraceful act with a girl or boy who has not completed fifteen years of age even if it is not committed openly, shall be punished by detention for at least a period of one year."
Article 359:
"Whoever attempts to disgrace a female by words or by deeds in a public street or frequented place, shall be punished by detention for a period not exceeding one year and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dirhams or by either of these two penalties.The same penalty shall apply to any man who disguises himself in a woman's clothing and enters a place the entry into which is reserved for women. If a man in such a case commits a crime, it shall be considered an aggravating circumstance."