Two Dubai salesmen charged with forcing maid into prostitution

Dubai: Two salesmen are standing trial for sexually exploiting a housemaid and forcing her to sleep with a number of men for money in a room where they reportedly locked her four months.

The Public Prosecution charged the Bangladeshi salesmen, 41-year-old M.C. and 26-year-old I.J., with violating the human trafficking law when they sexually exploited the 38-year-old Filipina housemaid and forced her into the sex industry.

Records said the housemaid, V.A., successfully broke away from her lock-up and took refuge at the Philippines Consulate in Dubai before the diplomats informed the police.

M.C. was charged with beating the housemaid and locking her up in a room where he forced her to have sex with him and with other men for money which he pocketed.

He was also charged with running a brothel and unlawfully detaining V.A. for nearly four months.

The Filipina said she came to earn a living in the UAE and worked for an Emirati family in Al Ain before she claimed she was kidnapped.

"Someone kidnapped and handed me to a person named M.A. he detained me for four consecutive days before I.J. took me to M.C... he beat me, threatened and raped me. He also forced me to have sex with men for money until I escaped to the consulate," alleged the housemaid in her statement.

The duo denied the charges before the Dubai Court of First Instance which will assign a lawyer to defend the suspects next month.