A story published on Emirates 24/7 News last Sunday concerning a man who physically prevented male lifeguards from saving his drowning daughter’s life has been circulating the web this week. However, according to the Guardian, this story is actually almost two decades old.
According to an individual who checked out the source: ‘They mentioned this case of the Asian man who prevented his daughter’s rescue, but, and here’s the catch – it was from 1996.’ The fact that there do not seem to be any images online or elsewhere that document the tragedy appears to confirm this statement. Accordingly, all stories covering the incident are accompanied by “representational images”.
The story was actually from an interview in which lifeguards were asked to describe the strangest things that have happened to them while on duty. Essentially, the 20-year-old girl’s father wrestled with the lifeguards who were trying to save her life, and said that he would rather his daughter die than be touched by “strange men”. The man was later fined by authorities for placing his religious beliefs above his daughter’s own life.
Though this story – an easily preventable tragedy rooted in religious misogyny – is decades old, its recent circulation might have inadvertently widened the scope for female employment opportunities in Dubai.
