Spousal and Child Abuse Perfectly Legal in UAE

by Liz Colville

A United Arab Emirates Supreme Court decision has upheld a man’s right to “chastise” his wife and children, Human Rights Watch reported yesterday. The UAE penal code “sanctions beating and other forms of punishment or coercion providing the violence leaves no physical marks.” Presumably there is also a section of the penal code that says men can cheat “providing the collars leave no lipstick.” [Via]