The unrevealed trauma - Dubai Women's College - Higher Colleges ...

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the UAE still managed to be
among the top countries in GDP
ranking.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai control
83.2 percent of the country’s
wealth; they are the largest suppliers
and producers of oil. This
uneven distribution of economic
development in the UAE makes
some Emirates poorer than
others. The other five emirates
comprise only 6.9 percent of
the country’s wealth, creating
dependence on the federal
government for financial support.
Causes of poverty differ from one
country to another. One of the
main causes in the UAE is society’s
focus on image. As an example,
most individuals in an Emirati
family own their own cars. Mostly
they buy high standard cars and
don’t mind applying for a loan to
own such cars. Ministry of Social
Affairs research points to ‘high
standards’ as the most common
factor of the impoverished, followed
by the cost of living. People would
not be living in poor conditions if
a luxurious life had not been one
of their priorities. Ninety-eight
percent of families getting help
from the Red Crescent have loans
that leave them unable to pay for
the essentials of living.
Many families know they are
eligible for help from specialized
foundations. The main reason
they do not ask for help is shame;
they think it is embarrassing.
Pride and dignity stop them from
asking for the aid they need.
The UAE has no official published
research regarding people living
under the poverty line. The only
available statistics go back to
2008, prior to the economic crisis.
A well-known Emirati organization
studies the poverty in the
country annually, but does not
provide research results for the
public. When asked to provide
research findings, they said it
was confidential.
NINETY-EIGHT
PERCENT OF
FAMILIES GETTING
HELP FROM THE
RED CRESCENT
HAVE LOANS THAT
LEAVE THEM
UNABLE TO PAY FOR
THE ESSENTIALS
OF LIVING.
“The ministry is working on
research to come up with detailed
statistics about poverty in the UAE
which will be available by the
end of 2011,” said Abdulsamad
Al Kamali, coordinator at Social
Security Administration, Ministry
of Social Affairs. All studies verify
that there are no individuals living
within the global poverty line in
the UAE. Dr. Faris Abdulrazak,
chief economist of the Dubai
Economic Council says, “construction
workers have the lowest
salaries in the country; however,
they earn more than Dh5,500 per
year which is the global standard
of poverty according to The World
Bank.”
“An individual whose salary is
Dh1250 or less can get help from
the government. The Ministry of
Social Affairs contributes to individuals
by helping them financially
starting from Dh625,” Al Kamali
explains. Low salaries are not the
only factor the Ministry
considers. There are different
categories the government uses
to determine when to help those
in need, so all residents get the
food they need to survive. However,
these families will still be
considered poor according to
the Emirati standards of living.
The UAE’s Federal Law No. 2 of
2001 regarding Social Security
Law states that widows, orphans,
special needs, elderly, divorced
and some other groups can legitimately
receive financial aid from
the government. There are rules
that apply before helping needy
families. Specialized centers look
at the income, the properties they
own, the ratio of family members
to rooms, rent cost and health
status.
Dubai Economic Council has
listed different standards in
measuring poverty in the UAE.
“The council studied the minimum
acceptance within the
society,” Dr. Faris explains. Each
country has different principles
of living, and this is what was
considered before coming up with
a poverty line for the country.
The results show that out of 16.9
percent of the poor residents, 7.2
percent are Emiratis. People living
under Dh80 a day are considered
poor according to the standards
of living, which is Dh2400 per
month. This amount for a family
of six –the average Emirati family
- is not enough to fulfill basic needs.
Food, petrol, electricity, water and
other items are daily life expenses.
The federal or local government
supports nearly 27 percent of
Emiratis. Help can be provided
as part of the citizens’ salaries;
in addition to their basic salaries,
some people receive money for
house rent and school fees for
their children. “Other than my
basic salary, the company I work
for pays for my kids’ education,
health insurance and part of my
house rent,” says Saeed Mohammed,
an Emirati father of four.
“With the high cost of living, it
would be hard for many householders
to provide their family
with an average lifestyle without
the help of the government.”
Apparently, if the government
stopped helping their citizens,
poverty in the country would rise
by 21 percent in Dubai and double
in Sharjah according to Dubai
Economic Council. This means
that the help Emiratis get plays
a large role in reducing the cost
of living.
THE UAE HAS
NO OFFICIAL
PUBLISHED
RESEARCH
REGARDING
PEOPLE LIVING
UNDER THE
POVERTY LINE.
Bait Al Khair Society states that
17 thousand Emirati families need
help from the government. The
UAE has people living in poor
conditions, but not yet at the
global poverty line. There are good
intentions from the government,
either by specialized foundations
or ministries. Economists, however,
generally agree that poverty
in the UAE does not represent
a massive problem especially
because both the community and
government are working
together to help reduce
the percentage of poor.
The Bait Al Khair Society has
4,868 families registered to receive
help. More than 50 percent
of these families receive help
because of their low incomes. The
remaining amount of the financial
aid is distributed among different
categories.
All official information that is
available shows that there are a
few poor Emiratis in the country.
The help they receive from the
government improves their standard
of living. Different authorities
state different facts; some say that
loans and high standards of living
are the two causes of poor financial
conditions. Other foundations say
that most of the people that need
help are low income. All foundations
avoid giving or officially
stating that they conduct annual
research regarding this issue. All
they could provide were statistics
from before the economic crisis.
The question is, do we have
research on the status of poverty
in the country in the past three
years? And, if yes, why isn’t it
made public?
Aiming for an expensive car. Fatema Al
Kamali/DWC