Dubai’s legal shift on premarital sex meets limits in case involving British teens

Marcus Fakana, of Tottenham, north London, allegedly had a secret romance with the unidentified girl in September, who has since turned 18, according to the BBC and U.K.-based campaign group Detained in Dubai.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates, or UAB, changed its laws to decriminalize consensual premarital sex. However, legal action can be enforced against a man or woman who engages in sexual activity with a minor under the age of 18, according to a UAE-based law firm.

In this case, the teen girl was labeled as a minor at the time she and Fakana’s alleged romance began.

“Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother — being the legal guardian — filed the complaint,” the government of Dubai said, per the BBC.

Black teen

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