Three women trafficked into sexual exploitation in Dubai

Three young Filipinas have claimed that they were trafficked to Dubai and sexually exploited. They have asked for the assistance of the Philippines Consulate and filed cases against their former employer. The women claimed that they were staying in the Emirate on a visitor’s visa and had expected to work as waitresses, but instead were forced into prostitution by a trafficker called Malou. One of the women, from Baguio City, a province in Northern Luzon, Philippines, said;
“We were recruited in the Philippines by Malou’s cousin. When we got here, we were immediately brought to a flat in Deira, but we didn’t know that we will be turned into prostitutes. I had my monthly period immediately after I arrived in Dubai, so she made me start seeing clients on the first week of June,”
One of the other women from Davao City in Philippines, said they were forced into prostitution against their will “Sometimes, I would sleep with three different men in a day. Each customer would pay Dh500, but we never received a single dirham because Malou would take the money directly from the customers,”
The third woman, who escaped later, also alleged that she had been promised work as a waitress, but had been sexually exploited. She told about her escape while being forced to pick up clients;
“After having some drinks in President Hotel, we took a taxi and while the vehicle was moving, I jumped out of it. My companion tried to stop me but I managed to let go,”
Rafael Palencia, Assistance to Nationals Coordinator of the Philippines Consulate-General, said that the issue of human trafficking is a long standing problem “It has been a modus operandi where Filipinas back home are promised jobs as waitresses in hotels or employees in malls here in Dubai, but are actually being recruited as prostitutes by some pimps. Now, the PCG will make sure that serious cases will be filed against these pimps so that their activities will be put to an end. We have already coordinated with the authorities concerned in Dubai,”
This case once again highlights the problem of human trafficking which exists in Dubai. Not only are women and children trafficked into sexual exploitation, but there is also widespread trafficking of people into forced labour. Business Travellers against Human Trafficking is currently campaigning for action by the authorities in Dubai. You can join that campaign by clicking the link at the top of the page.

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