This site tracks developments in international family law. By John Crouch of Crouch & Crouch in Arlington, Virginia. Our international practice has grown naturally from our location in our native Arlington, where our clients include many military, diplomatic and immigrant families, international organization employees, IT professionals, etc. This blog's purpose is to comment on the ongoing development of the law, and help other lawyers, journalists and the public understand individual cases. These postings do not provide a comprehensive description of the law. In fact, they will surely contain statements that were true at the time but have become less valid as the law continues to develop.
The new laws allow joint custody, equitable financial orders in divorces, civil marriage, and Western-style wills. They only affect Abu Dhabi, not the rest of the United Arab Emirates.
Ministers are drawing up new rules to put courts under a legal duty to ensure divorced parents are guaranteed access to their children.
Parents who refuse to accept the orders will be in contempt of court and risk serious penalties or even jail. ... children’s minister Tim Loughton said: ‘Our vision is to establish that, under normal circumstances, a child will have a relationship with both his or her parents, regardless of their relationship with each other.
... [Another] bill requires courts and councils which are enforcing contact orders for children ‘to operate under the presumption that the rights of a child include growing up knowing and having access to and contact with both parents involved’.