Men jailed for human trafficking and forcing woman into prostitution

Bangladeshi pair told 26-year-old victim that she would work as a masseuse in Dubai for Dh1,000 a month.

DUBAI // Two men who lured a housemaid with promises of a better job but forced her into prostitution were each sentenced to five years in jail.

At Dubai Criminal Court, Bangladeshis M A, 23, and M M, 26, denied charges of human trafficking. M M also denied a charge of running a brothel.

Last year, the Bangladeshi victim arrived from her homeland through a labour office in Ajman and started working for an Emirati family in Dubai.

“I worked at a clothes shop back home. I came to Dubai to make more money. A month later the sponsor’s wife made a complaint and so they took me back to the labour office,” said victim M S, 26.

While at the labour office, for nearly three days, she met a woman who convinced her to run away and said that, if she did, she would be able to work for much more money than she would be getting as a maid.

“I agreed and she took me to the residence of a man identified as E, whom she said would find me the job she promised. But two days later E handed me to a man who paid him money,” the maid said.

She was taken to a flat in Dubai and then to a massage centre where she was told she was to work as a masseuse in return for Dh1,000 a month.

“All customers were men, and one day a customer wanted to have sex but, when I refused, I was beaten up and had to give in. I worked in prostitution for five days,” she said.

The woman was then sold to M M, who locked her in a brothel and forced her to have sex with men. She tried to escape but was caught and beaten.

“M M then called M A, who took me in a car. When he was negotiating with some men and taking money from them, police raided and arrested all of us,” she said.

M M was arrested the next day.

Both men will be deported after completing their sentences.