The campaigning organisation Human Rights Watch has highlighted the problems women in the United Arab Emirates can face if they become embroiled in a legal dispute with their husband.

HRW accused the authorities in the UAE – home to large numbers of British expats – of “failing to respond adequately to reports of domestic violence”.

It also highlighted the use of Islamic law, which discriminates against women.

HRW said it is aware of complaints from a number of expatriate women who say their reports of domestic violence to police in the UAE were not taken seriously.

It also highlighted cases where woman have seen custody of their children given to their former partners, who have prevented them from seeing the children.

“The UAE has sharia courts but its civil and criminal courts also apply elements of sharia, codified into its criminal code and family law, in a way which discriminates against women,” said a spokesman.

“Under their interpretation it's permissible for a husband to physically chastise his wife and it is a crime for a woman to work without her husband's permission, for example.

“So while the UAE's civil and sharia courts apply the principle of ‘in the best interests of the child’ in cases relating to the residence [custody] of a child, the discrimination women suffer in other areas of the law may mean they don't get a fair trial in these hearings.”