Marcus, from Tottenham, North London, had been enjoying a holiday with his parents when he met a fellow Brit at the same hotel. A holiday fling sparked and the pair spent time together until the girl, also from London, flew back to Britain.

In Dubai, if an adult has a sexual relationship with a person under 18, they can be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor. The relationship would be legal in the UK.

Marcus and his parents were set to fly back shortly after - but their plans were thrown into chaos when police knocked on their hotel room door. The “terrified” teenager was then reportedly hauled in for questioning without any explanation and held at the Al Barsha Police Station, DID said. He spent three days there, during which time he was not allowed to make a phone call or speak with his parents, it is claimed.

  • nifty@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    The comments in this thread are practically Islamophobic and naive.

    When you travel to another country, just abide by its culture and customs.

    Like you cant go to India and disrespect cows, or now eat beef in public.

    The comments are also naive because they show how unaware the commenters are about what actually goes on in rich countries and events for affluent people.

    • Makhno@lemmy.world
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      20 minutes ago

      Uh yeah fuck Islam. Fuck the Judaism and Christianity too. See? Easy.

      • insomnia@lemmy.ml
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        17 minutes ago

        Okay so how do I fuck these religions exactly? I can go to these theocratic states and start doing whatever I want? Symbolising my freedom?

        Why don’t you try it? Let’s see how far you can go to freeing humanity from the shackles of religion.

    • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
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      36 minutes ago

      Islamophobic? Nah. Naive, hell yeah. You should watch what you do like a hawk when you’re going to places like Dubai. Have a good understanding of what is legal and what isn’t, like eating outside during Ramadan - this can get you actual jailtime instead of a fine or a slap on the wrist like you’d expect.

    • Victor@lemmy.world
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      You don’t have to be rich to travel there. My brothers and their mother traveled there, not rich by any means. I’m probably more well off, but I haven’t been there. 🤷‍♂️

      But maybe that wasn’t your point? Sorry if I assumed incorrectly!

      • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
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        2 hours ago

        I think you’re right, but also it says something about the personality too. I know great, respectable people in their own way who have gone there, but in general I agree with the vibe that it’s for “rich people who don’t care about inequality”

        • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
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          35 minutes ago

          This is only applicable to people who have a wide variety of choices to pick from - if you ca only choose Dubai because your parents worked there as expats then you’re probably in the clear.

        • Victor@lemmy.world
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          Knowing my family, Hanlon’s razor definitely applies here. People do not always know what’s going on politically or otherwise in a tourist place they visit. My family are not “great respectable people” (they’re good people though), so I’m gonna go with ignorance, for sure. 😅

  • BetaBlake@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    You Europeans really gotta stop vacationing in fucking Dubai, there are way cooler places to fly to.

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      Or why you’d even vacation there. How tf did they convince people to vacation in a desert?

        • viking@infosec.pub
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          2 hours ago

          It’s way better than Vegas, at least they maintain the place. Vegas reminded me of a junkyard full of crackheads and flashy lights.

        • 3ntranced@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          I’d like Vegas if there was like an airconditioned pedway to walk around the strip out of the heat and away from the crazies but still be able to observe like a human zoo.

        • nomous@lemmy.world
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          15 hours ago

          Really? I loved Vegas and can’t wait to go back. Full disclosure though I’m not really a gambler and we didn’t hit the casinos at all but there’s some really cool stuff in that area.

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        18 hours ago

        FOMO. makes it seem exclusive. For whatever reason at least 50% of humans are just wired to want to feel better than everyone else. The actual experience itself doesn’t matter as long as they can brag about it knowing that others weren’t able to achieve it. Dubai literally has ice shipped in from melting glaciers so that rich people can put it into their drink https://arcticice.ae/

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        15 hours ago

        A bit of an unwarranted answer, but many richer Pakistanis go there to buy stuff that isn’t easily available back home. Hence, they become cash cows for the ginormous malls over there (seriously. If you think American malls are big, you haven’t been to Dubai). It’s basically the closest foreign city we have direct flights to, due to our sanctions and all with India. For example, I got my Nintendo 3DS, and later the phone that I’m currently using (Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra), from malls in Dubai.

          • mayhair@discuss.tchncs.de
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            14 hours ago

            They were undoubtedly cheaper before, but with a low-budget airline like airblue, at least, a round-trip ticket between Lahore and Dubai, for a single adult, economy class, can cost 85,216 PKR or 306.23 USD.

            Choosing a more expensive airline like Emirates bumps it up to 138,028 PKR or 496.01 USD.

            (Source: Google Flights)

            To be fair, my father at least would often buy stuff while he had another reason to be there (i.e. for business).

    • Sakychu@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      22 hours ago

      If you are talking about social media it is likely that they aren’t allowed to post something negative about the country or else you can be fined. If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you’ll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes

    • sensiblepuffin@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      For the Middle East, it’s relatively progressive, from what I understand. That being said, that’s a low low bar.

    • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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      They have a pretty open love for western money. If you have the funds ($$$$$$$$), you can do pretty much whatever you want.

      But if you aren’t extremely wealthy, you get to experience the oppressive true nature of the place.

      Guess which group goes to Dubai and tells people about their experiences.

      • mayhair@discuss.tchncs.de
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        We Pakistanis don’t have much of a choice… We often have to stop at Dubai or Doha if we want to fly to Europe or the Americas. (Although occasionally, you can choose Turkish Airlines and stop at Istanbul instead.) Though to be fair, Pakistan can’t be much more friendly than Dubai to a lotta people…

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    21 hours ago

    I’m curious how the authorities were even aware of this occurring. The article says they were on holiday, so it’s not like there was much time. How did anyone notice their ages? Was it just fishing for a charge because of unrelated reasons?

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      Did you read the article?

      The girls mother reported him to the Dubai police.

      Hopefully her identity is revealed to the public and she faces some consequences for her actions. Maybe it’s already been leaked or released elsewhere, but it wasn’t in that article.

      • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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        15 hours ago

        I don’t believe that detail was in the article when I read it, but I’m unable to find any copies from before the update. I can tell you the article now is very different from the original.

        • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
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          10 hours ago

          After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.

    • ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.netOP
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      Either

      1. They’re always watching. I’m in tech and was taught in my security training - when traveling to countries with extremely strong surveillance, assume you are bugged. Family could be high valued and they wanted something from the parents. Probably a bit too tinfoil hat.

      2. Vengeance girl’s parents could be assholes/racist. As a dude, Ive had my share of “mommy & daddy doesn’t like me for taking their precious flower”. Multiplier in effect if they have a problem that I’m a PoC.

      • COASTER1921@lemmy.ml
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        1 hour ago

        If you check the article it says it’s the 2nd case, the girl’s parents notified the Dubai authorities

      • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
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        16 hours ago

        You already know that Mommy phoned it in but after reading several articles I’m going to guess she did it because her family is Muslim. According to another article his family knew about it but didn’t care however she was hiding it from her family because they were “quite strict”.

        I won’t discount racist assholes of course but you’d have to be SERIOUSLY over the top to know about this law in Dubai, let alone be willing to make an international phone call to the Dubai police about it. This smacks of religiously motivated behavior.

      • Dashmezzo@lemm.ee
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        4 hours ago

        It was the mother of the girl. She got back to the UK found out about the boy and contacted the Dubai authorities. Apparently the girl was days off her 18th birthday too. It was in the news report when he was originally arrested.

        Wrecked a young man’s life for some bullshit reason.

      • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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        19 hours ago

        I think either of those are super plausible. There will be people where they stayed who are happy to snitch, no bugs required. On top of that, the UAE has one of the highest concentration of surveillance cameras in the world. Like 30,000 in Dubai. Throw in some facial recognition cross referenced with the list of folks on vacation or on business in the city and it’s real easy to find out who is spending time together, what their ages are, and what their kids will look like.

        The second one happens all the time. Happened to me when I turned 18 before my then girlfriend. Her mom threatened me with jail and all kinds of shit even though it was perfectly legal and we were only a couple of months apart. She just didn’t like me or the fact that I was dating her daughter. Would have probably been worse if I had been a PoC.

      • Obi@sopuli.xyz
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        19 hours ago

        You’ve left out the good old snitch, my understanding is they’re pretty darn strict with anything that involves women over there, so maybe someone from the hotel saw something and reported it.

    • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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      21 hours ago

      Probably saw them socializing and then followed him on security cameras. Possibly seeing him go in her hotel room or vice versa. Then they haul him in and he admits what went on

      • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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        20 hours ago

        But why were they watching in the first place? How did they know their ages?

        • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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          19 hours ago

          It would be pretty easy (with big error bars but since when did authoritarians give a shit about that?) to set up some alerts based on facial recognition when someone under 18 (they have their passport information) is hanging out with someone over 18 who did not arrive in the same party.

  • Zexks@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    Sry no sympathies. You vacation in a religiously oppressive hell hole this is what you get. Stay the fuck out of Dubai.

    • vortic@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      No sympathies? He didn’t choose where to vacation, his parents did. Should children pay for their parents’ mistakes?

    • Frog@lemmy.ca
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      Okay look. This dude is 18. His brain isn’t fully developed, he didn’t even graduate from high school yet, his hormones are out of control, and he has a penis.

      If you still can’t see why he wasn’t thinking clearly, please read this article Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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    22 hours ago

    I won’t say I’ll never go to Dubai, but I will say I’ll do my best to never end up there.

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    As I’m reading this story I keep wondering…
    How in the hell did the authorities even catch wind of this even happening?
    Did someone report them?
    Are all the rooms tapped and monitored Stasi-style?

    • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
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      Well, did you read it?

      After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.

      • Cyyris@infosec.pub
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        15 hours ago

        Just newline characters for formatting - it’s possible that whatever app you’re using doesn’t properly support the markdown. I had issues with that on Sync before switching to Thunder.

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    20 hours ago

    On one hand, yeah, that sucks.

    On the other hand, you go to a foreign country, you’re subject to their laws, and it’s on you to be aware of them.

    There are weapons that I could happily lug around in the US that the UK would take issue with if I were to be doing so in the UK. Do I personally feel that British law is going the right way on this? No. However, it’s British territory, and so British law has jurisdiction. Saying “but I’m from the US and that would be perfectly legal back home” isn’t going to carry a lot of water with British courts, or, I expect, with British public opinion.

    Similarly, a Brit can’t exactly go to the UAE and just do as one does in the UK and expect the UAE to accept it because something’s legal in the UK. International travel is a lot cheaper and easier than it ever has been historically, but once you walk across the line of a sovereign territory, it’s got real consequences, and if you choose to travel internationally, it’s on you to be aware of them. That country isn’t just a tourism spot for people from Country X, but a home for people who live there. They’ve got their own rules and concerns.

    The chief executive of campaign group Detained in Dubai said Mr Fakana felt abandoned by the British government. He’s expected to appeal against his sentence.

    I don’t really see a reasonable complaint against the British government here, at least from the article text.

  • darthsid@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    Poor Marcus - I have a feeling this wouldn’t be an issue if he was white.

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    I really hope y’all ain’t defending his actions. The age of consent is the age of consent. That he couldn’t keep it in his pants is on him. It doesn’t matter what the AoC in UK is when you’re in another country.

    The law not having a provision for such a situation is a completely separate issue. To criticise that is valid. It still doesn’t give him an excuse to break it.

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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      21 hours ago

      The age difference is less than a year are you fucking insane, legality is not morality and we should always push back against unjust laws

      • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        you have no idea how easy but low it is to trick an underage girlfriend into sex. age of consent is 18 regardless of age difference for a reason. if you have an underage girlfriend, you should wait until she can consent and choose what to do with her body

        • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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          You realize in the vast majority of the world there ARE exceptions for exactly this reason. Teenagers do what they’re gonna do.

          What do you think on your 18th birthday you magically grow a consent organ? If they’re both teenagers there’s really no issue.

        • Schmuppes@lemmy.today
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          age of consent is 18 regardless of age difference for a reason.

          Where is that the law?

          • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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            2 hours ago

            well, in Iraq it’s 9. afganistan it’s 2 probably, but dubai, and so many other countries made the law to be 18. and if you asked me, it’s good they enforced such age limit for Dubai considering its rampant international prostitution businesses there. If they didn’t, you would see 14 yr olds from east south asia getting trafficed there by the tens of thousands

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        Weird hill to die on but ok. Again, the law itself can be argued about, breaking it not really. No one made him jump in bed, nor is the law some violation of human rights. “Don’t shag people under 18” is not a tall ask.

    • Uranium 🟩@sh.itjust.works
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      21 hours ago

      It creates an few different odd possibilities though, in the UK you can be married before 18, let’s say an 18 year old wife and her 17 year old husband went on their honeymoon to Dubai, would they legally be allowed to consummate their marriage?

      Would Dubai recognise their marriage?

      • tal@lemmy.today
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        I don’t know about the UAE, but in the US, most states have some lower age of consent to sex for married people, and I assume that normally marriages from abroad would recognized. So I’d guess that as long as you were having sex with someone you were married to and it met that lower bar for age, you could still have sex with them.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_age_in_the_United_States

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_consent_in_the_United_States

        So, for example, for Illinois’s age of consent, the age is lower if the people involved are married:

        The law allows the actor a defense to prosecution if the victim is currently or was previously married (the absolute minimum marriageable age in Indiana is 16[170]), although this defense does not apply in the case of violence, threats or drugs.

        Whereas normally, the age doesn’t go below 18.

        I’d expect that Illinois would still potentially charge people who were legally married abroad to, say, a 14-year-old and then have sex with them in Illinois.

        Specifically for immigration – not just visiting the US --it looks like US immigration considers whether marriage would be legal at the age in question in the intended state of residence.

        https://www.uscis.gov/archive/uscis-strengthens-guidance-for-spousal-petitions-involving-minors

        Interviewing earlier at the I-130 petition stage provides USCIS with an additional opportunity to verify information contained in the petition and assess the bona fides of the claimed spousal relationship. USCIS officers will now conduct interviews for the following I-130 spousal petitions as part of the adjudication of any I-130 spousal petition where:

        • The petitioner or the beneficiary is less than 16 years old; or
        • The petitioner or the beneficiary is 16 or 17 years old and there are 10 years or more difference between the ages of the spouses.

        While there are no statutory age requirements to petition for a spouse or be sponsored as a spousal beneficiary, USCIS published guidance earlier this year detailing factors that officers should consider when evaluating I-130 spousal petitions involving a minor. USCIS considers whether the age of the beneficiary or petitioner at the time the marriage was celebrated violates the law of the place of celebration. Officers also consider whether the marriage is recognized as valid in the U.S. state where the couple currently resides or will presumably reside and does not violate the state’s public policy. In some U.S. states and in some foreign countries, marriage involving a minor might be permitted under certain circumstances, including where there is parental consent, a judicial order, emancipation of the minor, or pregnancy of the minor.

        A related topic where legalities differ between countries: polygamy. I’m pretty sure that I recall reading that if you immigrate – not just the same thing as traveling to – the US, and are in a polygamous relationship, you are required to only choose one spouse to be your wife under US law.

        kagis

        Yeah:

        https://www.quora.com/Does-the-US-recognize-polygamous-marriages-from-other-countries

        For example, a refugee who was practicing polygamy before he immigrated will be required by U.S. immigration law to designate one wife as his legal wife to accompany him to the United States. Years later, after becoming a U.S. citizen, he might divorce that wife, and marry the woman who was formerly his second wife, in order to petition for her (on Form I-130) to immigrate to the United States.

        If the petition is approved, the new/formerly second wife immigrates, and then USCIS learns that the husband is still continuing to live with the first wife (even if only some of the time), all three could be accused of practicing polygamy. This is the case because all three come from a country where polygamy is practiced. Therefore, if the man lives with both women at the same time, whether the women live separately or apart, their joint behavior meets the USCIS definition of polygamy.

        Similarly, if an immigrant from a country where polygamy is practiced culturally but not legally goes through a ceremony of customary ‘marriage’ with someone in her country of origin who has other customary wives, USCIS will see her as a practicing polygamist. This will be the case even though there is no legal marriage between the couple, and even though she is living in the U.S. and he and his wives are living outside the United States.

        Islam is the most common religious tradition recognizing the custom of polygamy today. Nevertheless, as a result of the biblical practice of polygamy, there exist practicing polygamists in both the Hebrew and Christian traditions. In addition, many African and some South-East Asian nations have sociocultural traditions of polygamy.

        If you belong to any of these traditions (or certain sects within them), therefore, USCIS will pay close attention to indications that your household situation fits the definition of polygamy.

        Because many immigrants and U.S. citizens come from religious traditions that have practiced polygamy, it is not against U.S. law to believe in polygamy, so long as you are not actually practicing it.

        If you practiced polygamy before immigrating to the United States, but neither you nor your spouse(s) have practiced it since becoming a legal permanent resident, your prior history of polygamy should not cause your naturalization application to be denied.

        If you have personally practiced polygamy since immigrating to the United States, (even if it was many years ago) you should not apply to naturalize without first consulting with an immigration attorney. Practicing polygamy as a legal resident of the United States will not only likely result in denial of your naturalization application, but grounds for deportation.

        If you have not personally had multiple spousal relationships at the same time, but you have had a relationship with someone you considered a spouse (whether that relationship was legally recognized or not) and that person had other spousal type relationships at the same time, USCIS may determine that you are a polygamist. This is true regardless of whether your partner was living in the U.S. or abroad. It is especially true if you or your partner come from a country where polygamy is practiced, whether legally or culturally. You should definitely not apply for naturalization without first terminating that relationship (or making certain that your partner has terminated all other relationships). You should also wait to apply for naturalization until five years (or other applicable good moral character period) after the end of the relationship, unless you have a good explanation for why you got involved in the relationship; an explanation that makes it clear you did not intend to practice polygamy.

        If you knew your partner was a practicing polygamist, or if you want to apply without waiting, you should definitely consult with an immigration attorney first.

        Remember, USCIS examining officers are trained to spot polygamous behavior in applicants for naturalization who come from countries where polygamy is part of the culture. If you were knowingly involved with polygamy or polygamists, your application for naturalization is at risk of denial no matter who you were in the web of relationships.

        EDIT: Under certain specific situations, some states have no minimum age for marriage in the US – one could, hypothetically, become legally married to a four-year-old in California. Under the Full Faith and Credit Clause, all states are required to honor marriages performed in other US states, so someone can become married in State A and then move residence to State B. Thus, I’m pretty sure that it’s possible to be legally married to someone in a state where one could not actually become married to that person, and still be legally prohibited from having sex with them while in the territory of that state.

        • WolfLink@sh.itjust.works
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          18 hours ago

          All that post and you didn’t include that many US states have “Romeo and Juliet” laws, which the UK does as well, and which Dubai evidently doesn’t.

          The differing laws between countries is the point here.

          • Flax@feddit.uk
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            13 hours ago

            The UK doesn’t have “romeo and juliet” laws, but from what I hear, prosecutions for people who are close in age but one is over consent is rare

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        21 hours ago

        Word to the wise, there are countries you absolutely should read the laws for certain things.

        Like Singapore. Watch out with things like ADHD meds which need prior approval.

        • KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world
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          20 hours ago

          I agree, but most people aren’t going to do more than search “important rules to know before visiting x”.

          • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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            20 hours ago

            I mean… When I searched for “important rule to know before visiting dubai” I found this: https://www.expatwoman.com/dubai/guide/faqs/expatwomans-guide-to-dubai-etiquette-how-to-behave-in-dubai

            The following are also considered illegal in Dubai: use or possession of drugs, cohabitation, sex outside of marriage, having a baby out of wedlock, adultery and homosexuality.

            Important to note that I DO NOT blame the teens. They were doing what teens do. BUT they would have been well advised to research Dubai a bit more than, say, France for what to do and what not to do.

            • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
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              16 hours ago

              …sex outside of marriage, having a baby out of wedlock

              Those laws were changed starting in January of 2022.

              So while you did research you are trusting some no-name website with information from 2013 in regard to legal matters, matters that could result in execution if you get it wrong. As a point of fact before the law change in 2022 the so called “Age of Puberty” was 14 so what this guy did wouldn’t have been illegal based on age!

              https://www.khaleejtimes.com/legal/explained-new-uae-law-on-unmarried-parenting-sexual-assault-extramarital-affairs

              This kind of circumstance is why reasonable places in the world don’t prosecute this stuff when both parties are tourists. It can be damn difficult to know precisely what is and what isn’t in any given area.

              People need to stay the hell out of Dubai.

              • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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                16 hours ago

                So while you did research

                No - I just did a quick google search… That’s not “research” unless you’re a partisan trying to support a position…

                My point is that that alone would be enough to make me start looking further into what’s up with my destination. I’ve considered trips to the middle east before and my wife is very nervous about going there as a woman. Because, as you say, it can be very difficult to know what is or is not legal. Or even just what will get us in trouble with hyper-religious assholes.

      • Ech@lemm.ee
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        21 hours ago

        This arrest is shitty and the comment above you is stupid, but you should absolutely be aware of the laws of wherever you go. Being a visitor somewhere doesn’t bestow the right to ignore the law.

        • jqubed@lemmy.world
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          20 hours ago

          Yes, although I wouldn’t really expect a teenager to read up on age of consent laws, especially when traveling. They probably should, but I wouldn’t think them likely to.