UAE gives children of Emirati mothers more rights

The UAE announced yesterday that it is granting the children of Emirati mothers residing in the UAE the same education and health benefits as other citizens, WAM reported.

This came in a decree issued by President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Ministry of Presidential Affairs shall provide the necessary support to federal and local government agencies to facilitate this directive, WAM added.

In 2011 the UAE decreed that the children of Emirati women married to non-Emiratis could apply for citizenship when they reach the age of 18. Previously, citizenship could only be passed on through the father.

Last year the UAE opened up its citizenship to foreigners, with locals highlighting that expats could obtain rights that the children of Emirati women could not attain.

Issuing passports to a privileged few marks a change in the way the UAE has traditionally treated expats who make up 90 per cent of the country’s population.

Instead of being encouraged to leave, wealthy expats are now being enticed to remain and call the UAE their home in an effort to boost domestic spending and sustain property prices.

HRW: UAE’s legal reforms are ‘consolidating repression’