DUBAI // A mother lured her 15-year-old twin daughters to Dubai with the promise of a good education, but forced them to work in a massage parlour, a court heard on Monday.
One of the girls, M A A, said she lived with her six brothers, five sisters and stepfather in Pakistan. Her parents divorced and remarried before her mother moved to Dubai as a manicurist.
She brought the twins to Dubai when they finished Year 10.
The mother, S K, 37, and four men – O R, 25, M A, 22, F A, 22, and T A, 41 – all Pakistanis, have been charged at Dubai Criminal Court with human trafficking.
“We arrived in May 2014 at Sharjah International Airport,” the girl said.
They were taken to a flat in Al Raffa and forced to work in a massage parlour.
She said one day they refused to go to work and their mother and T A attacked them with a wooden rod all over their bodies.
“We were forced to go back to massaging men and pleasuring them,” she said. But prosecutors said the girls had not been forced to prostitute themselves.
The girl said that she found out her mother had married a man, aged 18, and was selling her body. Later, the twins and their mother returned to Pakistan.
“She assaulted our younger brothers and sisters and said she would hurt them if we did not return to Dubai, which we did,” M A A said.
She said her sister was sent home after she was raped but her own ordeal did not end until labour inspectors visited.
Only O R and M A were present to deny the charge. The others are still at large. The next hearing is scheduled for March 30.
salamir@thenational.ae
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Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
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