A part of my company induction last week was an hour class of Safety and Security policies in Abu Dhabi. At the end of the session, I raised this question:
”Is pepper spray legal in the UAE? Or are we allowed to carry that little electric thing which you can use to protect yourself from harassment?
Sadly the answer was no.
They elaborated more on having to always be in a group, not going out alone, calling the police, blah, blah. There were a few Emirati people in the group so I kept my mouth shut. But my internal ramblings continued.
What if you need to walk home everyday from work?
What if you just want to buy grocery from the supermarket across the street?
What if you just want to have a quiet time alone, perhaps coffee in a shop?
What if you just want to jog peacefully?
What if you’re a loner and people suffocate you?
What if you’re in a group or you’re with a friend and you still get harassed?
What if the perverts are long gone when the police shows up?
In a normal world and in a normal country, people should have the rights to carry out daily tasks and live every day without being bothered, distressed or exploited. Everyone has the right to walk the streets confidently without being objectified.
A local lady spoke up and said the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard.
”The UAE is a very safe place. Here, they respect women. You are safe in this country.”
A local guy agreed with her. And a new expat who was sitting beside me, looked at me and said in kind wishful tone,
”Maybe because of their culture and religion, women are treated well here?”
I swallowed a chuckle and smiled very politely. Whatever you say, people.
All I could think of that moment were cans and cans and cans of pepper sprays, in different colors, in different adverse effect.
When will men from this region learn to keep their sexual desires inside their pants?
Legalize pepper sprays!
VIOLETOLOGY 
This country is complete garbage and you should move into another country that doesn’t have 80 as their average iq.
i don’t care if this country is safe, people still may get attacked, and when they do get attacked, they need something to protect themselves.
illegalizing pepper spray just tells you how little uae actually cares for it’s citizens.
all of this is coming from a uae citizen.
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I already did moved out… finally 🙂
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Where to buy it from in UAE?
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if you want a pepper spray here in uae email me
mixgree47@yahoo.com
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if you live in a guarded community it is rare to see creepy old men 😛
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Then maybe you should move into a place where these tools are legalised !
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That’s the plan 😛
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Well.. I have lived in Dubai most of my life and truth be told I have had very few incidents to cause me to be too concerned for my safety.. I do walk back home alone everyday after work and have had no problems yet.. apart from the occasional staring or catcalling, which I ignore.. That being said, it wouldn’t do to be over confident either.. I generally carry a body spray in my bag and wouldn’t hesitate to use it directly on the eyes of anyone who tries to get over friendly.. also, few people who have had such incidents happen to them just made a scene and people around them did rush to their help..! so you could try that as well i suppose! 🙂
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Hi Golda, BODY SPRAY! Why didn’t I think of that. That’s a safer ”weapon” than the pepper spray my husband did buy me after this post. Body spray goes into the bag now 🙂 Thanks so much for dropping by. You have a safe day ahead!
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