A DUBLIN mum is turning to the Irish Government to help get her daughter and granddaughter home after a travel ban in UAE.
Trish McCabe is claiming “it’s not that complicated” in getting her daughter and granddaughter home for Christmas.
Alma, 36, and her daughter Isabella, 4, have been stuck in Abu Dhabi since March 2022 after her German ex-husband placed a travel ban on their daughter.
This is despite the family courts in the UAE awarding Alma full custody and parental responsibility.
The Irish Embassy has not pushed the UAE to delete a travel ban placed on Isabella during the custody battle.
Trish said: “My daughter has been through an unbelievable traumatic time in the Emirates.
“It’s been hell but she’s won all parental rights and thought she’d be able to return home to Ireland. She’s won everything.
“All she wants is to come home to her family and the only thing standing in her way is a local travel ban.”
She added that the Embassy have claimed there isn’t a lot they can do in the situation.
She continued: “The Embassy has said they can’t really do anything but it’s a really simple request. She has custody.
“Isabella is an Irish citizen, was born in Ireland and they just need to come home.
“After everything they’ve been through, we just want to be reunited.”
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai who worked on getting Tori Towey home after her arrest, is urging the Irish government to step in.
She said: “I’ve come to know Alma and her mum Trish recently.
“They were hoping the custody win would remove the travel ban on Isabella and it should have, but unfortunately, things move very slowly in the UAE and there is little concern for the effect this is having on Alma and Isabella.”
‘NIGHTMARE’ LEGAL PROCESS
She added that if they are free to leave the UAE, it will require “diplomatic conversations between the Irish and UAE governments“.
She explained: “When marriages end in Dubai, the legal process is a nightmare for foreigners.
“It’s something to consider for families and couples considering relocating. If anything goes wrong, they are faced with an often unfair and painful judiciary.
“Despite the odds being stacked against her, Alma has won her cases and wants nothing more than to be home for Christmas and able to heal from a truly difficult experience.”
Both Alma and her mum Trish have reached out to representatives in Ireland to help with their case, including Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tanaiste Michael Martin and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Detained in Dubai are also suggesting that the Irish government liaise with the UAE’s foreign office and Ambassador in order to bring Alma and Isabella home.
