Forced into prostitution, woman falls and breaks back in Dubai escape bid

The 30-year-old was held in captivity for at least 45 days before she attempted her escape, Dubai court hears.

DUBAI // A 30-year-old woman broke her back while climbing out the window of the brothel she had been forced to work in.

The Bangladeshi was forced into prostitution after running away from her job as a maid for an Emirati family in Fujairah, Dubai Criminal Court heard today.

She said another maid told her to call a man, A?A, who could find her a job. The man, a 29-year-old from Bangladesh, took her to Sharjah.

"He bought me some clothes because I didn't take any of my stuff when I ran away," she said.

He then took her to a flat in Dubai,  where she was locked up for nine days then told she would be working as a prostitute.

"When I refused, I was beaten and raped by A?A," she said.

The victim said she was then moved to another apartment, where there were four other men. One helped A?A lock her up and assault her, while the others were in charge of running the brothel.

On October 6 last year, after being held for about 45 days, the woman escaped out of an open window in the third-floor flat.

She was climbing down the pipes but fell and lost consciousness.  She woke up in Rashid Hospital with multiple spine fractures that have left her needing a walking frame.

Police raided the apartment and arrested five men, including A?A.

He and his compatriot, S?A, 24, were charged with human trafficking and illegal imprisonment.

Bangladeshis N?H, 26, S?A?A, 32,   and A?H, 28, were charged with aiding and abetting the other two.

A?A, S?A, N?H, and A?H were also charged with promoting sin by inviting customers to the brothel.

They all denied the charges. The next hearing will be on March 6.

Today's case was the second human-trafficking trial so far this year. In the other, four women and a man from the Philippines are accused of using Facebook to lure women to Dubai with the promise of jobs then forcing them into prostitution.