3 men, woman charged with human trafficking in Dubai

Dubai - The 17-year-old victim, jobless, said the woman accomplice contacted her in Pakistan in December, last year.

Three men and a woman, who allegedly brought a 17-year-old female compatriot from their home country to exploit her in prostitution in Dubai, have all been charged with human trafficking at the Court of First Instance.
The Pakistanis, aged between 21 and 32, are also accused of running a flat as a prostitution den where the teenage victim and another woman worked as prostitutes.
A fifth Pakistani, 24, has been charged with having illicit consensual sex with the victim. The 24-year-old Pakistani woman accomplice is standing trial in absentia. The Dubai Police raid took place on January 14.
"We were tipped-off that a flat in Al Baraha, Al Muraqqabat was run as a prostitution den. And that an underage girl was being exploited in prostitution. We set up a task force from the anti-human trafficking section to follow-up on that information and keep the flat under watch," said a police lieutenant.
"We obtained a public prosecution warrant for raid, search and arrested all involved in running the prostitution flat."
An undercover police officer carried Dh100, belonging to the Dubai Police, while the informant and other police officers waited at a distance outside. "It was around 7.30pm when we went to the flat. The undercover cop requested inside the flat to have sex with the teenage victim. When the main accused led him into a room, he gave the signal to us for raid," the lieutenant added.
The 17-year-old victim, jobless, said the woman accomplice contacted her in Pakistan in December, last year. "She offered me a job in prostitution and I took her offer. But I told my mother I would travel to Dubai to work as a saleswoman. I had previously worked as a prostitute back home because of our bad conditions."
The woman accomplice received her at the Dubai International Airport and took her to a flat in Al Baraha where she was told she would receive customers with another woman. "She told me I had to give one of the accused 50 per cent of the revenues of my work because he had paid for my visa and travel ticket," the victim said.
She recounted that an average of ten men would come daily for sex, mostly Asians.
A customer used to be charged Dh100 and a man there kept the books. The victim would sometimes have sex at a hotel or at the customer's place.
She told the prosecutor she was not under threats, subject to any assault or imprisonment and was allowed to keep her passport.
"I had a mobile phone and I was in daily contact with my parents back home. All of them were aware that I was 17 and one of them had sex with me on the arrest day."
She revealed the flat had been rented in the name of one of the defendants and one of his accomplices would bring customers and collect money from them.
The trial will continue on May 3.
mary@khaleejtimes.com