IndieG

................An article countering the allegations published in the Gulf News recently..

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/wo...nted=1&_r=1&hp

Blue Cat

I am going with the 'there is no smoke without a fire' philosophy on this one

MataHari

I am going with the Emiraties think that this kind of stuff should be dealt with within the family and not by some outsider conspiracy theory...

Blue Cat

me too

Madam Medusa

how can you...the original alligations of a journo coming armed with cash to pay those women is sheer fabrication, that's just not how these things work... Someone somewhere is doing a great hatchett job...this charity just doesn't "fit in" here...

MM, xx

Blue Cat

No one will never know 100% what went on but I had been hearing bad things about this place for some time now and not from Journalists either.

Madam Medusa

but that's the point...it's not going to be FROM journos, this place isn't wanted...and wasta always gets rid of whatever it doesn't want...

i don't know enough about this, but it all sounds very suss to me...

MM, xx

Blue Cat

MM you can look at that way but remember it has been here years and years and never had any negativity pointed at it in anyway, if they didn't want a shelter here Sheik Mohammed would have got rid of it a long long time ago.

MataHari

maybe...but maybe they went about it in a more 'subtle' way...

Blue Cat

possibly, as I said I doubt anyone will ever know what really went on

Madam Medusa

yeah...but there hasn't been publicity about it before the last few months, so i guess it was the secret they didn't mind keeping. Once she went out and featured in very positive articles, it was clearly a step too far...

MM, xx

Blue Cat

it has had way too much publicity in the last few months and I blame the women who were involved in raising funds etc for it. All the years I have been here I was aware of it's existence but it was never advertised as such. Now people know where it is and can go in freely! not exactly ideal for the abused women is it? Sharla featured in the Dubai Dreams series of documentaries and they were a while back, at least three years.

Norm_uk

One of my friend's helped his wife's former roomate literally escape the country after her boyfriend (from this region but I won't point fingers) beat her repeatedly and the police did nothing.

I know of several maids (as my ex was Filippina and so we used to try help them) who were severely abused, sexually, physically and mentally.

It goes on everywhere in the world but in places like this it's shunned, covered up and it would seem in some cases everything but encouraged.

Until the law get's tough on this and the culture sees this as a problem I fear this sort of thing will continue to be a source of shame for this country.

N.

Patsy Stoned

BC if you want to go with the "no smoke without fire" train of thought...think back to last year and a certain blog site!!!
Doesn't always ring true..does it?
There has been enough evidence that shows that there was a definate smear campaign against Sharla and the CoH and sometimes people should not be so quick to accuse, especially when the article in the NYT quotes this person................

A prominent cleric, Ahmed al-Kobeissi, recently gave interviews to Dubai newspapers in which he said Ms. Musabih’s work “goes against the traditions of Emirati people” because she “instigates wives against their husbands.” Mr. Kobeissi also voiced indignation at Ms. Musabih’s suggestion that Emirati men are among the clients of Dubai’s many prostitutes

If people like Erin Pizzey had not stood up and fought for abused women in the 70's some of the laws in the UK re rape within marriage would not have been passed. It takes women with courage to stand up and be counted.

Patsy steps off soap box and reaches for the bubbly stuff!!

IndieG

Why? I'm glad they did publicise their work - a lot of people wouldn't have otherwise known about their existence and volunteered. Same with Helping Hands...