8.52 AM Saturday, 30 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:55 06:09 12:26 15:52 18:38 19:52
30 March 2024

Human trafficking does not pay for two women

Published
By Eman Al Baik

The Dubai Criminal Court awarded two Nigerian women five years in jail followed by deportation sentence for human trafficking, confining others and forcing them into prostitution and practising prostitution charges.

The court found ES, 23 and SA, 30, both are visitors guilty of exploiting the need of three compatriot women for work, bringing them from their home countries, confining them and forcing them into prostitution.

ES alone is also accused of practising prostitution, according to the accusation sheet.

The first victim AE, 18, testified before the prosecution that she was told by a woman called Trici about a job opportunity in Dubai without telling her the nature of the job. She has issued a passport and the woman issued her a visit visa and bought her an air ticket on Emirates provided that after working she will pay her back the costs. Upon her arrival in Dubai International Airport on December 14, a Nigerian man called Obi told her that he was sent by ES. He dropped her to a flat in Al Rifaa area where ES received her and collected from her the passport and the visa and told her that she will work in prostitution. As the girl refused, ES asked her to pay $15,000 as cost of the visa and the air ticket.

“She forced me into prostitution. I was a virgin and she asked a man to violate my virginity against my will then asked me to please men. She herself was a prostitute and she used to do that in the same flat or she would visit men in their accommodation. She used to take me to night clubs to get customers and bring them home to practice sex with on daily basis. She used to make in between Dh300 to Dh500 daily.

“Should I refuse pleasing men or going out with her to the clubs, she used to beat me and prevent me from food. She was not allowing me to go out alone. And when we are at home, she used to lock the door and keep the key with her. On December 15, at around 12 noon, ES asked me to go to a Golden Sands Hotel to practice sex together with the other two girls,” she testified.

The three girls agreed to notify the police. One of the three girls who knew the emergency number 999 gave it to AE who logged a complaint and three were asked to come to Al Rifaa Police Station, according to the records.

The second and third KO, 29, and RO, 31, were staying in another flat in the same building and had been confined and exploited by SA. They have repeated similar story about how they were forced into prostitution.  “I was asked to pay either $15,000 or Dh60,000,” testified KO, who has arrived in Dubai on December 8.

RO, who arrived on December 5, testified: “I was beaten up when I refused to offer sex. SA was collecting between Dh200 – Dh300 from each customer. She was recording that in a notebook.”

First Lieutenant Ali Humaid testified that the three women have first asked for their passports which are seized by the two accused. Then the told their stories and how they were brought in from their home country and how they were forced into prostitution.

Police raided the two flats and confiscated the notebooks where the two accused were registering the revenues of sex from the three girls. The passports of the three victims and amounts of different currency were confiscated, testified the policeman.

ES confessed and blamed another woman who works in a saloon and claimed that she was forced into prostitution after been cheated by that woman.

ES and SA denied beating the victim and forcing her into prostitution and claimed that their supervisor did that and seized the passports.

“The three complainants insisted that ES and SA brought them into the country, seized their passports and beaten them up and prevented them from food when they refused to work as prostitutes,” testified policeman Sultan Ali.

ES and SA are overstayed their visit visas.

The two accused confessed to the accusations according to the prosecution record, however, they denied the accusation before the Court in a previous hearing.