How do I enforce a child support order in Dubai when my ex just ignores it?

Someone does make him pay — that is exactly what the execution file is for. A maintenance order in your divorce judgment is enforceable like any court judgment: you open an execution file with the Personal Status Execution section at Dubai Courts, attaching the judgment and stating the unpaid months. The execution judge then has real tools, not reminders: salary deductions ordered directly through his employer, freezing and seizing bank accounts, a travel ban, and — because the UAE treats child maintenance as a priority debt — continued refusal to pay despite the ability to do so can ultimately lead to detention. The fact that he has a steady job here works in your favour, since a salary is the easiest asset to attach; bring whatever you know about his employer and bank to the filing. You can claim the full arrears since January as well as the ongoing monthly amounts, and the file stays open, so any future defaults are handled inside it rather than starting from scratch. Filing can be done through the court's electronic services and is more straightforward than most people expect. A UAE family lawyer can open and run the execution file for you, and in practice the first salary attachment often produces payment quickly.