Why you may be in jail if tutor molests your child

Lawyers and education officials have stressed to parents that anyone who works as a private teacher is doing so illegally, according to a report in The National.

The advice came after a series of court cases involving tutors accused of molesting their pupils.

At least 11 cases have been prosecuted in the Dubai criminal courts since January last year. The most recent involves a tutor accused of molesting four girls aged between seven and 11.

Many parents are tempted to hire private teachers to give their children more personalised learning. But UAE law prohibits such teachers, according to the Ministry of Education. Teaching visas are issued only to teachers affiliated to schools, and private citizens cannot sponsor them.

Anyone teaching privately is breaking immigration laws by not working for their visa sponsor or not having a visa at all.

The National writes that even an imam who gives Quran lessons can do so only if registered to an emirate's Islamic affairs department and if the lessons are conducted in the mosque.

The consequences could include a prison sentence, according to Dr Ali Al Jarman, a Dubai-based managing partner at Prestige Advocates.

"They can be charged with illegal employment under a different sponsor, which carries deportation, jail time and a heavy fine," he was quoted as saying in the newspaper. "The parents can be prosecuted and be fined up to Dh50,000 and face jail and deportation."

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