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.

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." 

In a tragic accident that has left residents in Saudi Arabia shocked, a nine-year-old student, Radhi Al Shemmari, was run over by a car outside his school in Ihsa'a governorate on Sunday. 

Speaking to Sabq news site, the spokesperson for the governorate's education authority said the boy was killed after being hit by a car as he crossed the road to get to school. 

She also added that the authority's head, Ahmad bin Mohammad Al Ghunaim, has ordered an immediate investigation into the matter. 

Both the authority and the kingdom's Ministry of Education also sent their condolences to the boy's parents and family. 

In a heartbreaking letter addressed to the kingdom's Minister of Education, Ahmad Al Eissa, Al Shemmari's mother called on him to take action to protect other children from facing the same fate as her son. 

News of Al Shemmari's death went viral on social media soon after it was first reported and continues to make the rounds online. 

Thousands reacted to the matter with shock, sadness, and outrage, while others called on authorities to implement stricter safety measures inside and around school campuses. 

"May God give his mom patience." 

"Is it possible that we have all this money and don't have organization when it comes to these things. All we need is a police car parked outside a school for a few minutes." 

"If these schools cared about their students, they wouldn't let them out of campus and wouldn't leave them sitting in the sun, sometimes for hours waiting for guardians to pick them up."

"There should be teachers on duty after school hours and they shouldn't leave campus until the last student there safely leaves the premises. There's a direct ministerial order that clearly states this." 

"The Minister of Education should be held accountable over this, not the school." 

"This is so heartbreaking. These children are our responsibility, parents, school officials, and drivers. Anyone who sees a child in need of help, should hold his hand and help him cross a road until they are sure he is safe. Providing safe transportation for students is of extreme importance. May God help this child's parents." 

"May God have mercy on his soul." 

On the same day of Al Shemmari's death, another tragic run over took the life of Saudi third grader, Rawan Al Rashid. 

In the accident's details, the girl was waiting for her school bus to pick her up outside her house in Barida. 

After it arrived, Al Rashid's sister got on the bus, thinking she had also gotten on the bus, then the driver took off and run her over. 

Seconds after the accident, the panicked driver carried the little girl back home and handed her over to her shocked parents who then took her to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. 

Al Rashid's case sent shockwaves on social media, sparking outrage among many who are calling on the kingdom's Minister of Education to take serious action in the wake of the two fatal incidents.