UAE: More than 100 teenagers to be prosecuted in 2022 – News

Assault, fighting, traffic violations and drug use were the most common crimes

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The UAE Federal Juvenile Prosecution Service said it handled 116 juvenile cases last year.

That’s down 15 per cent from the 137 cases in 2021 involving adolescents, mostly boys.

Assault, fighting, traffic violations and drug use were the most common crimes.

Federal prosecutors say on their website that the number of juveniles involved in crime has decreased significantly in recent years.

In 2020, 175 minors were prosecuted, compared to 208 in 2019. The number of juveniles involved in crimes in 2018 was 313.

Prosecutors attribute the decline in the number of teens involved in crime to efforts by security services, schools, parents and others to raise awareness among teens about good behavior and the dangers of bad grouping and involvement in crime.

Police across the UAE regularly run awareness campaigns to educate teenagers about the dangers of drugs, driving without a license and other crimes.

Authorities also educate children about the law and familiarize them with investigations and court procedures, which can also act as a deterrent to crime.

Police and prosecutors have been urging parents to become more involved in their children’s lives and monitor their activities to protect them from unwanted groups that could lure them to commit crimes.

Article 6 of the UAE Juvenile Law stipulates that no criminal proceedings shall be initiated against juveniles under the age of seven. However, in any case, the court or the competent authority may, if necessary, order appropriate educational or therapeutic measures.

Penalties for crimes committed by minors over the age of 7 and under the age of 16 are determined by the judge. If the minor is over 16 years old, the judge will make a ruling according to law.

However, minors are not subject to the death penalty, cannot be sent to adult prisons or face financial sanctions.

According to Article 10 of the Criminal Law: 1. For cases where adults will be sentenced to death or fixed-term imprisonment, minors will face up to 10 years of criminal detention. Where an adult crime should be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment, the juvenile detainment sentence shall not exceed half of the adult sentence for the crime.

The law also stipulates that places of detention for minors should provide social care and education.

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