An Abu Dhabi mother has been hit with an Dh80,000 fine after leaving her young daughter in the care of a nanny for eight days while she traveled abroad. Despite the child’s father being available and willing to take responsibility for his daughter during that time, the mother bypassed him entirely. The situation was further aggravated by safety concerns, as it was discovered that the child had been left in the same room as an unrelated man and required rabies vaccinations after being scratched by a cat during the mother's absence.

The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court upheld the fine upon appeal, clarifying that the ruling was not an indictment on the use of nannies in general, but rather a direct response to a breach of joint-custody responsibilities. Under local regulations, parents sharing joint custody are expected to prioritize the other parent for childcare when one is away. Because the mother ignored the father’s availability, the court imposed a penalty of Dh10,000 for each day she was gone. Moving forward, the court has mandated that the father must be given the opportunity to care for the child during the mother's future travels, warning that any repeat of this behavior will result in the fine being doubled.