Reporting cases of child abuse or negligence is no longer a choice as the United Arab Emirate's Child Protection Law takes effect Wednesday.
The 2016 revised version of the Federal Law, formerly named Wudeema Law, was drafted in the memory of Wudeema, an eight year old Emirati girl who was abused to death in Dubai in 2012, according to Gulf News .
The law not only protects children under the age of 18 from abuse and neglect, but also supports their basic right to education, healthcare and shelter.
“If a child’s life is in danger then we intervene immediately. The centre has the authority to go, take out the child and remove them to safety," Khaled Al Kamda, director general of the Community Development Authority, said, according to The National .
“It is not for us to start taking children away from their family. That is not the law. The law says the parents or the guardians are responsible for raising their children but to raise them according to acts that will not put the child in danger,” Kamda added .
Under the new law, "excessively disciplining" a child is prohibited as is leaving a child unaccompanied by an adult at home, seating a child in the front of the car and shouting and screaming at the child.
The law applies to anyone who comes in contact with a child whether it's a parent or a teacher. All violators of the law will be faced with a fine that starts at 5,000 dirhams and can reach 50,000 dirhams as well as up to 10 years in prison in reported cases involving physical or sexual abuse.