UAE jails 2 Singaporean men for wearing women's clothes

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obvious link to inequality and discrimination, but also the idea of whether harsh law should be used for deterrent effect if the awareness of the 'criminal' act is not there, esp among foreigners and tourists.
Outsiders to a country may not be familiar with the laws of the country they are going to and may inadvertently flout certain local laws on acts which are actually the norm in their own society...E.g. possession of firearms in the US, drugs (?), sunbathing in the nude when going to Islamic countries, LGBT issues, freedom of speech/expression.....and get this: cracking jokes about carrying a bomb before boarding the plane, and leaving bags unattended in public (remember the guy who left his bag at the Hougang MRT station?)

Also, for the deterrence effect to operate, it is not just about the awareness of the criminal act, but also the awareness of the punishment of the criminal act. Some people may know that drug-trafficking is a crime in most countries, but they may not know it carries the death penalty; likewise for seemingly innocuous act like publishing fake news which might see one being given a jail sentence....  

Qn: "Punishment is the best way to reduce crime." Discuss.