Dubai: Prosecutors have sent out a strong warning to parlours who hire massage therapists to offer sexual services as this will be categorised as a human trafficking crime.
An Asian woman, S.A., and her son [who remains at-large] have been referred to the Dubai Court of First Instance where they will be prosecuted for sexually exploiting three Asian girls and forcing them to offer sexual services to men in massage parlours, said Dubai Attorney General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan yesterday.
Radio 2: Nasreen Abdulla reports on the warning issued to massage parlors offering sexual services
* Audio supplied by Radio 2
"This is the first case of its kind and in which Dubai Public Prosecution [DPP] has referred suspects accused of human trafficking — based on exploitation by compulsory sexual services," said Al Humaidan in a media statement on Monday.
"Chief Prosecutor Ali Humaid Bin Khatem, Head of Naturalisation and Residency Prosecution, and Senior Prosecutors Ahmad Murad Ahmad led the investigations which revealed that the victims were exploited and were forced to work in the massage parlour, owned by S.A. in collaboration with another female suspect," he added. "The victims weren't paid their salaries. We have asked the court for a stringent implementation of the anti-human trafficking law."
Coercion
Sources close to the case told Gulf News that the suspects are Chinese.
According to the bill of charges, the three Asian girls were obliged to offer sexual services under coercion and under the threat of being detained. Chief Prosecutor Bin Khatem, assistant head of DPP's special committee that investigates human trafficking cases revealed that the incident happened in a massage parlour in Rifaa Area.
One of the allegedly victimised massage therapists, T.S., reported to Al Rifaa Police Station that she was forced to offer sexual services for men.
Preliminary investigations showed that T.S. was flown to Dubai to work as a massage therapist in the parlour. A month later she was taken to the roof top of a flat where she was coerced to offer indecent services to a man.
When she refused to comply, according to prosecution records, S.A. said if she didn't comply she would be forced to pay for her residency and visa fees.
