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What should you do if you are wrongfully accused of sexual harassment at work?
How is Sexual Harassment Defined?
Sexual harassment has been defined in the UAE Penal Code as “any persistent behaviour to cause annoyance to the victim by actions, words, or signs, against the decency done repeatedly so as to induce him to respond to his own sexual desires or the sexual desires of others”.
Under Article 413 of the UAE Penal Code, any person who commits a sexual harassment crime shall be punishable with a jail sentence for a period not less than one (1) year and fine not less than AED 10,000 or either one of these penalties.
The penalty shall be a jail sentence for a period not less than 2 years and a fine not less than AED 50,000 or either of these two penalties, in certain other situations. These include:
- if the act is committed by multiple criminals, or
- if the criminal is carrying a weapon, or
- if the victim is a child under the age of eighteen (18) years, or
- the criminal is one of the ascendants or unmarriageable kins “ Mahram” of the victim, or
- those entrusted with the upbringing or care or having authority over the victim, or the victim’s servant or the servant of any of those previously mentioned.