Dubai: Two women who were duped into coming to the UAE on the pretext of being offered jobs and then forced into prostitution managed to escape from their "agents" yesterday. A man who encountered them near the Kuwaiti Roundabout in Sharjah and asking motorists for a ride took them to the Sharjah Indian Association from where they were taken to the Indian consulate's shelter in Dubai. I have three children back home and I came here to work as a cleaner.
I have not been paid at all. I am also scared A Mathews, president of the Indian Association Sharjah. Mathews said the women, both Indians, did not fly directly from Kerala to the UAE but came via a neighbouring country.
In a written statement to the association, the women ages 31 and 32, said they were married and had come to the UAE on September 10 on a visit visa. The visas were provided by a travel agent for Indian rupees 10, about Dh each. The agents whom they dealt with in Kerala had promised them jobs as cleaners in a hospital in the UAE. I telephoned home only to hear my father had died. But he refused. Ten days ago the women refused to entertain any more men. As punishment they were taken to a building near the Kuwaiti Roundabout and locked in a flat.
Left alone, we planned our escape. We came across a screwdriver All along we kept our fingers crossed no one would come to the flat," said one of the women. Authorities should take strict measures against those criminals in order to put an end to human trafficking and other similar practices. They deserve a life sentence. The UAE needs to stop these agents from being able to bring people into the country under false pretences and maybe they should review the immigration as something is still going very wrong.
Tahani Brighton,UK I wonder how this crime can take place in a country which claims to be safe specially for women. I think the authorities should take action as stiff as possible against culprits so that such heinous crimes are not committed again. Why has it become so open and accessible? Is it part of 'satisfying' the tourism industry? UAE government needs to crack DOWN hard on the sex trade here, police raids on a massive scale should be carried out on agents, death penalties or deportation should be implemented on the people responsible.
