Khaberni - The head of the Custody Committee, Ahmed Abdel Karim, revealed that the committee has issued recommendations for removing custody from mothers in several cases, including verifying the frequent visits of a stranger to the home of one of the custodial mothers at inappropriate times, him sitting in front of the television watching matches wearing shorts, another mother frequently going out at night leaving the child with the maid, and a friend of the mother mistreating the daughter.
In an interview with the platform "Arab Cast," Abdel Karim stated that a child's attachment to the mother is not sufficient for her to continue as the custodian if the child's presence with her poses clear harm, such as the case of a teenage girl allowed by her mother to stay out late.
In detail, the head of the Custody Committee described that the committee plays an important field role in custody disputes by visiting the child's home, school, and surrounding environment, collecting social, psychological, field, and criminal clues, then preparing the technical groundwork for the court, determining if the child's environment is suitable, if there is harm or neglect, the level of attachment, then the recommendation is raised, and the judge has the final say on whether to remove custody, continue it, or other related decisions.
He added that there are cases where the committee recommended removing the mother's custody, including a father complaining that his 14-year-old daughter was allowed to stay out freely until near midnight, pointing out that the mother was dangerously lenient and did not impose proper supervision, while the mother responded that her daughter was a teenager, trusted by her, and that giving her freedom was better than imposing restrictions that would make her rebel.
He mentioned that the committee listened to both parties, reviewed the girl's statements, discovered that she constantly went out late without direct supervision, and subsequently recommended transferring custody to the father, as he was more concerned with discipline and protecting the girl in a sensitive phase, and the court agreed to the committee's recommendation.
In another case, a father stated that the mother frequently goes out at night and leaves the children with the maid, corroborated by school reports about the children's poor academic performance, while the mother replied that her outings were for necessary family reasons, and there was no direct harm.
The committee verified the field report and proved that the absence was indeed frequent and that the children were left with the maid for long periods, recommending transferring custody to the father, despite the mother being legally acquitted in another case, and the court agreed to the committee's recommendation.
Another notable case involved a father who reported that a strange man was staying almost daily at the mother's house in the presence of their son, after the latter told him so, and the mother responded that the man was a neighbor, visiting once to fix the television.
After hearing from the child (eight years old), who innocently recounted that the "uncle" sits in the living room, watches matches, smokes, and wears shorts, the precise details mentioned by the child led the committee to believe him. The issue was not just the mother's behavior but the contradiction in her statements and allowing a stranger to stay permanently in the house which threatened the educational environment. The committee recommended removing the custody, and the court agreed to it.
In another case, a father filed a lawsuit claiming that the mother's friend was mistreating his nine-year-old daughter, while the mother denied this and insisted that the father was exaggerating to tarnish her image.
Abdel Karim stated that the committee listened to the girl, who mentioned detailed accounts of inappropriate incidents, and upon field investigation, they confirmed the consistency between her statements and what the social researchers observed, leading the committee to recommend removing the child from this environment and removing the mother's custody, which the court supported.
The head of the Custody Committee, Ahmed Abdel Karim, mentioned that the committee acts as the judge's eye, originating from article (59) of the Child Rights Law "Wadeema," but its institutional inception came with a decree issued in mid-2022 by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Chairman of the Dubai Judicial Council, and since then, it serves as the social-psychological-criminal arm of the court, investigating facts, conducting field visits, and presenting technical recommendations to aid the judge in custody lawsuits.
The committee consists of seven delegated members from various entities: two from Dubai Police (one concerned with child rights), two from the Community Development Authority (for field tasks and observing the child's environment), one from Dubai Health Authority (for psychological and physical evaluations when necessary), and two from Dubai Courts, along with a social specialist who prepares the report from inside the court.
He continued that when selecting the committee members, the criterion of "best suitability" functionally and by experience was taken into account, without personal requirements not demanded by the job (such as marriage), noting that in the current composition, there are three men and four women, achieving a professional and emotional balance.
