My husband and I divorced and now I’m homeless with three children

In my weekly column in The National newspaper, I answer a reader who quit her job after her divorce and is living on a visit visa with no accommodation – but her husband is not providing financial support for her two children under three. I explain to her that as long as her husband is still a UAE resident, UAE law expounds that all fathers must provide maintenance for their children as long as they are dependents; that is until they have finished education or married, if they are girls. The woman must register a case with the Personal Status Court, which will first look to settle the case amicably before initiating court proceedings.