Mother and teenage daughter trafficked into prostitution, court hears

Abu Dhabi // Three women, including a mother and her 16-year-old daughter, were trafficked into prostitution after being promised jobs in a beauty saloon, a court heard.

The three said when they arrived in the UAE their passports were confiscated and were threatened with “trouble” if they told police.

SO and YM, from Pakistan, are accused of forcing the three women into prostitution.

The first victim S, said she had met SO in Pakistan, who asked her to work for her saloon in Ajman, along with her daughter ShS, 16, the second victim.

When they arrived in the UAE the three were picked up by YM who took their passports. The next day they were forced into prostitution for about seven times a day.

The two defendants would demand Dh600 an hour and then the two would split the money.

ShS added that her mother once asked SO why she wasn’t receiving any of the money.

The third victim, Y, is also from Pakistan.

The judge challenged the three women on why they could not escape if they had mobile phones.

Y said she was threatened by them. And that the two told her they had connections with the police and if she dared call them they would put her in trouble.

SO denied the charges and said she had recruited the women to work at a beauty saloon she owns in Ajman. “Then I asked them to give me back some documents for my saloon, which they had used for visa procedures and they refused,” she told the court.

“Then they reported me to police.”

YM denied any connection with the women apart from issuing their visas.

The case at the Criminal Court was adjourned until November 18 to appoint a defence lawyer for the two accused.

hdajani@thenational.ae