Woman forced into prostitution in Dubai has flight home bought by her first customer

A Moroccan woman denies the charge of human trafficking, while a Syrian denies running a brothel and facilitating prostitution of Moroccan and Syrian women.

DUBAI // A woman who was lured to Dubai by promises of a job but was then forced into prostitution was rescued by her first customer when she burst into tears and told him her story. The Moroccan woman was told that she would get a job in a beauty salon but, when she arrived in the UAE, she was taken to a prostitution den. After a week she was taken to a hotel, where she met a Saudi customer who paid one of the two Arab women on trial for the Moroccan woman’s services.

“She handed them [the hotel] my passport then I met with a Saudi customer, who paid AA Dh1,500 then she left,” said the victim.

“I sat with him and cried so hard and told him my story. He felt compassionate and booked me a ticket back to Morocco and even drove me to the airport.”

At the airport, she was not allowed to leave the country because, as she was informed, her employment contract had not been cancelled, so she headed to airport police and told them the whole story.

AA, a 22-year-old Moroccan woman, on Monday morning denied a charge of human trafficking her countrywoman at Dubai Criminal Court. She also denied locking her up and forcing her into prostitution.

Syrian RA, 28, denied a charge of running a brothel and another of facilitating prostitution of Moroccan and Syrian women.

The victim told prosecutors that she was approached by a woman in her country who told her a job in a beauty salon was available but she needed to sign a deposit cheque of 10 million Moroccan dirhams (Dh4.2m) to have her visa processed.

“I was provided with AA’s phone number in Dubai and arrived on January 24 this year then called AA, who gave me directions, so I took a taxi,” said the victim.

The woman arrived to the flat in Al Nahda and was surprised to see seven Moroccan women already there.

“AA took my passport right away then told me I will be working in prostitution,” said the victim.

She said she and the other women were taken to a hotel where men chose which women they liked.

“They were paying Dh1,500 in return for six hours with each of the women,” said the victim, adding that for seven days she had not been chosen by any of the customers so had not had sex with anyone.

AA then took the victim to another hotel, which demanded the woman’s passport to allow her in. This is where she met the Saudi man.

After the victim explained all to police at the airport, AA and RA were arrested.

Policeman SA, 35, said when both the defendants were questioned they denied all charges but when they were confronted by the victim and evidence was seized from their flat, they both confessed.

“RA confessed she was prostituting women from Morocco and Syria for Dh700 — we found birth-control pills and other contraceptive means in her flat,” said SA.

However, the pair both denied the charges in court and the next hearing is on November 6.