Six Indians face UAE court for pushing Pinay into flesh trade

Six Indian nationals were charged by a United Arab Emirates court with human trafficking for allegedly forcing a 31-year-old runaway Filipina maid into the flesh trade at least twice this year. According to Gulf News, the prosecutors said the suspects, aged 26 to 39 years old, "sold" the Filipina for Dh2,000 to a man in Ras Al Khaimah and for Dh5,000 to a man in Dubai. Records showed that the "sale" occurred sometime between January 23 and 31 this year, Gulf News said. According to prosecution records, on January 23, the Filipina left her Emirati sponsor's house in Oud Al Mateenah. "I left my sponsor's house at 10:00 p.m. to buy credit for my phone, which was provided by my sponsor's wife, so I could contact my family in the Philippines," she testified to investigators in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Dubai Police," she testified to investigators in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Dubai Police. "I was afraid to go back because I wasn't allowed to leave the house and I knew my sponsor would be angry and yell at me," she added. According to the prosecutors, the Filipina met one of the suspects as she was walking in the street. The woman reportedly asked the suspect and his friends to help her find work. Eventually, the suspects allegedly encouraged her to work as a prostitute, saying it was the only work she could do without a passport, which was still with her employer. The Filipina said she refused at first but was given two days to think about it. "She told me she wanted to sell me to work as a prostitute, but I refused. So she gave me two days to sort myself out," the Filipina maid told police officers. She testified they persuaded her to work in prostitution because it was the only work she could do without her passport, which was still with her employer. Two suspects later took her to a house in Ras al Khaimah and "sold" her as a prostitute to two men, Gulf News said. These men later "sold" her to a man in Dubai who was running a brothel, the report said. The police were tipped off about the incident and arrested the suspects, the report added. The next hearing of the six suspects is scheduled for June 12. - VVP, GMA News