Pinays among victims of underwater groping in UAE beaches

Filipinas are among the victims of a disturbing trend in beaches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — "underwater groping" or the unwanted touching or fondling of a person while under water. According to a report of Gulf News, the Dubai police have set up a helpline that victims can call to report lewd behavior. "Female beachgoers who have been harassed or threatened on any of Dubai's beaches can complain on 04-266 1228," the report said. Gulf News cited a 28-year-old Filipina who became a victim of underwater groping while she and her husband were swimming at the Jumeirah open beach. "I felt a hand on my right leg. Someone had swum up under me, grabbed hold of my leg and was caressing my thigh," she told Gulf News. Too afraid to react, she swam back to shore and told her friends that she was not feeling well and wanted to go home. She did not reveal the incident to her husband for fear that he might go after the harasser. "I was afraid that if I told my husband, he would have been on the hunt for this guy and created a scene. I just wanted the incident over with and forgotten," she told Gulf News. Denial The report also quoted another woman, 31, who became a victim of sexual harassment when she went on a midnight swim at the open beach in Jumeirah. She said two men swam under her and grazed her body. "It was two guys pretending that they made a mistake. But as they were trying to apologize, they were reaching out to me underwater with their legs," she told Gulf News. Other expatriates also reported having been touched inappropriately while they were at the beach. A 32-year-old Indian said a man "accidentally" nudged his elbow into her chest while straightening out his towel, the report said. Her 29-year-old Italian friend said she is not too keen on going to the beach. "At first, I had no problems. But over the last year, I've been uncomfortable about going to the beach," she said in the report. - VVP, GMA News