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Princess Latifa: What are women's rights in Dubai and the UAE?

In recent weeks, the world has heard a lot about the experiences of the women at the heart of the family in power in Dubai. Princess Latifa has accused her father of having held her hostage since she tried to flee in 2018, and said she feared for her life. While women do have rights, these are dependent on the approval of a male guardian - often a spouse or male relative - who grants a woman permission to do certain things.

Rothna Begum, a senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, outlines the rights women have in the UAE and the impact of those on women's lives.

"Their laws and practices deem men to be the legal guardians of women."

(Picture shows Dubai's Princess Latifa Al Maktoum. Credit: EPA)

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2 minutes