Man doesn't register son's birth in UAE; wife finds shocking secret

Abu Dhabi - She decided to go to court after repeated requests to her husband went unheeded.

A woman has taken her husband to court for refusing to register their child's birth. According to court records, the woman was the Arab man's second wife.

An Al Ain court heard that the couple had met on social media and got married secretly. But he did not want to identify himself as their son's biological father as he did not want his first wife to find out about his second marriage. He has three daughters from his first marriage.

The man had provided his second wife with an accommodation after giving her dowry and marrying her in the presence of four witnesses, including the woman's guardians. Their marriage was, however, not officially registered with the UAE authorities.

The second wife decided to go to the court after her repeated requests to register her son and obtain identification papers for the boy went unheeded.

The woman said in her lawsuit that she married the man more than three years ago and they had a baby boy. She said she had tried to obtain her child's birth certificate on her own, but it was rejected because the father's name was not specified.

The woman's lawyer argued in court that though the couple's marriage was not officially registered, it was genuine as it had all elements of an Islamic marriage, including witnesses from both sides.

The witnesses also testified in court that they were present when the couple got married.

The lawyer argued the man did not officially register his second marriage and also was reluctant to register the child because he was "afraid of his first wife".

The lawyer said the child was entitled to identification documents and sponsorship by his parents in addition to proper care and upbringing, as per the law.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com