Progress Amid Resistance

522 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAthe service. 10 It does not deal with the promotion of women’s freedoms,nor does it address, aside from the occasional press conference, the issuesof human trafficking, domestic and public violence against women, discrimination,or other controversial problems that hinder women’s rights.Some governmental and charitable organizations such as the Red Crescentand the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children attempt to addresssuch issues, but few NGOs are able to do the same. Activists and philanthropistshave run up against bureaucracy that has made it nearly impossibleto gain the necessary approvals to operate legally as a NGO in thetraditional sense seen in the West.RecommendationsF The nationality law should be amended to permit Emirati women totransfer citizenship to their husbands and children.F The Women’s Federation should publish a legal resource guide forwomen that clearly defines their political and legal rights and providesthem with practical tips on how to better exercise such rights.F The government should encourage women to participate more at everylevel of the judiciary, particularly as lawyers, by offering scholarshipsand awards to female law students and introducing a gender-basedquota system at the Ministry of Justice.F The government should fully adhere to CEDAW by removing its reservationsand prohibiting all forms of gender-based violence.F The government should remove the obstacles that currently exist to theformation of independent women’s rights NGOs. Instead, such NGOsshould be encouraged to develop in recognition of their importance fora healthy civil society that adequately addresses the needs of Emiratiwomen.AUTONOMY, SECURITY, AND FREEDOM OF THE PERSONThe Personal Status Law (No. 28 of 2005), enacted in November 2005,is the first of its kind for the UAE. Previously, personal status issues werede cided by individual judges’ interpretations of Shari‘a. The codification ofsuch issues is viewed by many as a positive development for women’s rightsas it guarantees Emirati women certain rights, including greater personalfreedom regarding marriages. Most notably, it legally recognizes khula