Dubai: A 21-year-old girl, who was abandoned when she was one-month old and then jettisoned by her adoptive family, says she will be a success one day.

"Her adoptive father was very close to her, and deposited Dh300,000 in her bank account before he died," said Reem Amiri, an officer at the Victim's Abuse Programme at Al Qusais Police Station.

Her new "sisters" soon grew jealous of her because of their father's affection for her. "The father died a few years ago, and when this girl was 19, the family wanted to give her away. The mother was old and said she could no longer care for the [adopted child]. The siblings were against the girl. The jealousy grew day by day and there were differences in the family. The girl was always made to feel that she was adopted, either by her siblings or people in the neighbourhood. The father, however, would tell the girl not to listen to these people, and that he had special affection for her," Reem said.

The first time the family wanted to give her away was when she was 19. The girl stayed at a temporary shelter and was then handed over to her adoptive sister who worked in Abu Dhabi. The sister was then going to get married and she again gave the girl back to the police, who looked for a shelter for her.

A policewoman gave her refuge for a week and then placed her at a permanent shelter.

"The girl now refers to the policewoman as [her] mother because she gave her a new lease of life. She was abandoned when she was a baby, then made to feel like an outsider for years. She was jettisoned at age 19 and went back and forth from her [adoptive] sister's home to police to a shelter. Even the Dh300,000 which her stepfather deposited in her bank account disappeared. Life is finally looking up for her," Reem said.

Top student

The woman is now a top student at the college she attends. She aspires to do her masters degree and then a doctorate. She does not hold a grudge against anyone in her foster family because she says they raised her and gave her food and shelter. Police tried to arrange a meeting between her and the foster family. The director of the shelter, where she is living now, however, refused permission.

The director said she would be traumatised after the meeting and it would affect her studies.

Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, said families must only adopt children if they can be responsible for them throughout their lives. "You cannot adopt a child and then decide to give him or her away. This puts a lot of stress on the child and can ruin his or her life. Parents must not adopt children even if they have the slightest doubt," Brig Al Mansouri said.

If a child is abandoned, whether at a young age or, like this girl, in her late teens, police take the matter seriously and do their best to help the child. If children are neglected they could turn to crime or mix with bad company. This then places a burden on society.

The girl receives Dh4,000 every month from the government and she said that she is using the money carefully.