UAE women can now become federal judges

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Abu Dhabi: UAE women will soon be able to become federal court judges, a top official said on Saturday.

The Ministry of Justice is amending judiciary law to allow women to take up positions as judges and prosecutors at the federal level, Mohammad Bin Nakhira Al Daheri, Minister of Justice, told Gulf News on Saturday.

"At present, the law states that only a Muslim man is entitled to assume the position of a judge," Al Daheri said.

Training
He added women are currently being trained at the Judicial Institute and will be prepared to work as judges in the courts and prosecutors in the public prosecutor's offices across the country once the law is amended.

Al Daheri did not give a time frame for the move.

Two women in Abu Dhabi have already been appointed as prosecutors.

The minister said the move is in accordance with Sharia (Islamic law) "as all laws in the UAE must be in keeping with teachings of Sharia."

If approved, the move would make the UAE the second Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member country to have women judges, after Bahrain.

The amended law, he said, would also empower the Minister of Justice to transfer officials between the public prosecutor's office and the courts, which currently requires a presidential decree.

Al Daheri said that this year will witness the revision of a number of economic and social laws including medical, pharmaceutical and foreign investment laws.

He added that the ministry had agreed with the federal bodies whose laws will be amended to form committees to study the amendments before submitting them to the technical committees for drafting.

One of the major initiatives to be adopted by the ministry, he said, is the translation of the UAE's laws and regulations into English. This will lead to a greater understanding of the country's judicial system and will facilitate smoother delivery of services, he said. The ministry will upgrade its services and will introduce an integrated system of contemporary legislation in a framework of transparency and effective cooperation with other departments, he said.

Customer needs
Al Daheri said his ministry's focus this year will be to improve services to meet customer needs. In order to attain that, Al Daheri said the ministry will shift to an electronic environment that will enable it to deliver quicker and more accurate services.

The ministry will upgrade its services and will introduce an integrated system of contemporary legislations in a framework of transparency and effective cooperation with other departments, he said.

The ministry will also focus on procedural aspects and working mechanisms to raise the efficiency of its employees, with the objective of accelerating court proceedings and allowing the courts to efficiently handle responsibilities.

Other goals include development of human resources, with special attention to Emiratisation, enhancing transparency in inter-departmental relations, and creating effective institutional systems to contribute to achieving excellence.

Why women are needed
Rasheeda Mohammad, a lawyer with Al Bawardi law office, said female judges could contribute to a better understanding and implementation of legislation, especially in matters relating to family and individual law.      

According to her, besides good legislation, the country needs judges who are more open-minded towards family issues.

"Only women can understand women and they can bring a more open and sensible perspective in the application of the law," she said.

Existing Arab women judges
In June 2006, Mouna Jasem Al Kawari, a Bahraini woman, became the first female judge in the Gulf region.

Other GCC countries have not as yet appointed female judges.

Other Arab countries that have women judges include Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.

By Samir Salama

© Gulf News 2008