Teen got mentally ill after being forced into flesh trade, Dubai court hears

Dubai - Detained defendant also accused of raping the victim.

A 15-year-old girl became mentally ill after being forced into the flesh trade, a Dubai court has heard. A construction worker stood trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance, charged with human trafficking.
The public prosecution accused the 32-year-old Bangladeshi worker of falsifying the teen's age in her passport to bring her to the UAE after promising her a job at a beauty parlour.
The defendant, who is detained, is also accused of raping the victim, taking advantage of her vulnerability and mental condition. He had accomplices who had been convicted earlier.
A medical report stated the victim suffered from severe psychosis. She showed symptoms of excessive tension, anxiety and fear. She also showed abnormal behavioural patterns.
According to public prosecution records, the case dates back to November and December 2018. It was registered at Al Muraqqabat police station. A police lieutenant said they were tipped off about the accused, who allegedly assaulted the victim and locked her up in a flat in Al Muteena.
"After verifying the information, we went to that flat and lured one of the suspects outside. He let us inside the flat. We saw the victim and another woman there. The victim looked unwell. She was talking to herself, laughing for no reason and then praying.  We took them all to the police department.
"That accused (who had already been convicted) denied having forced the victim into prostitution. However, he admitted that he beat her up and tied her as 'she did not want to eat'," the policeman said.
A woman, who was caught there, claimed she did not report the men to the police because she was worried she would get in trouble as she was an illegal resident and had run away from her sponsor.
"That woman said that she learned from the victim that her real age was 15 and that one of the convicts had brought her to work in a beauty parlour but then forced her to have sex with men. That woman claimed that one of the convicts threatened to report her to the police if she helped the girl. She also said that the victim was fine when she first arrived," the lieutenant said.
The trial will continue on December 9.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai