RECENTLY, ROSCOMMON WOMAN Tori Towey home to Ireland following a traumatic ordeal in Dubai. As the Dáil heard, she had been the victim of domestic violence, but instead of being protected by the Dubai authorities she was treated as a criminal: charged with attempted suicide and alcohol consumption and had a travel ban imposed on her. Tori’s return home was thanks to quick and effective efforts by many people who sprang into action, including her mother, Caroline and her family, as well as the advocacy group, .
Politicians – particularly her local TD, Claire Kerrane, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Taoiseach Simon Harris – as well as the Irish Ambassador and Embassy officials in the UAE were also crucial in release efforts. Speaking at Dublin airport on her return, Tori also thanked the Irish media and the Irish people. “Without you guys, I wouldn’t be here,” she said.
She was right. International attention shamed Dubai authorities into doing the right thing: dropping the charges, lifting the travel ban, and allowing her to return home to Ireland. Tori’s case, rightly, dominated the headlines in Irish and international media in the days after.
But now that she is home, we must ensure that the spotlight remains on UAE’s human rights abuses. Tori’s case was shocking, but it was not a surprise. Behind the ultra-modern image of an influencer paradise, the seven-star hotels and designer shopping and the glitzy image presented to tourists is a grubby, da.