Ani was 20 and working on a market stall in an area of Yerevan, the Armenian capital, nicknamed "Bangladesh" when she was made an offer she couldn't refuse - the chance to work as a nanny in Dubai for a tempting tax-free wage.
But Ani, like many women before her, fell victim to a human-trafficking ring run by three Armenian sisters. When she arrived in Dubai, her passport was taken away and she was sent to live with "Madame Anoush" in her brothel in Deira, where she was forced into prostitution.
Anoush Martirosyan, 40, the leader of the operation, was sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Yerevan court on April 20 after the Emirati and Armenian authorities worked together to build a case against her.
The evidence presented at her trial painted a grim picture. Ani was told she would have to work as a prostitute to pay back the money spent bringing her to the country. Any protests were met with beatings. "There were days when she'd beat us and not feed us if we didn't work," Ani, now 26, said in court, according to the Armenian online newspaper Hetq.
"She would line us all up in a row and grab her shoe ... It didn't matter whether I worked well or poorly, she'd always hit me," Ani said. "One day I complained, saying that after all the work I was doing she wasn't giving me any money. Upon hearing these words, she rushed me into a taxi, took me back to the house, and proceeded to beat me with an iron bar."
Ani said she escaped several times, but recalled how she was brought back by "Ponytail Ali", a henchman the prostitution ring used to teach a lesson to those who caused trouble. Milena, 35, another victim who gave evidence, said Martirosyan would instil fear in her workers by calling on Ponytail Ali. "There were about four to six girls with Anoush," Milena said. "Whenever a new girl was brought to the stable, they'd call Ponytail Ali to make a visit so that they'd recognise his face.
"If anyone was making problems they'd phone Ponytail Ali. He'd go find the girl, take her out to the desert, have his way with her, beat her and then take her to the boss."
Milena said she finally managed to get her passport back, but was still trapped. "I had no money. It wasn't only a question of a visa or plane ticket. I also had to pay a fine because I had stayed in Dubai without any visa for about one year," Hetq quoted her as telling the court.
She said that in desperation, she hatched a plan to be deported. "I went to a hotel where drinking wasn't allowed and started downing some beers. I lined up the empty bottles on the window-shelf. Then I rang up the police, who came and jailed me for two months. On May 4, 2008, I was deported."
Sara Suhail, executive director of the Ewaa Shelter for human trafficking victims in Abu Dhabi, said women brought here against their will should never feel helpless.
"Maybe sometimes victims aren't aware of the efforts the country is dealing with this problem and don't know that there are now procedures and laws in place," Ms Suhail said. She said victims also might be afraid of being charged with prostitution if they go to the police for help. But, she said, a special police task force had been set up specifically to recognise human trafficking crimes and help the victims.
Martirosyan, who had been convicted in 2004 in Armenia for organising prostitution, admitted housing the girls, but denied human trafficking. She said they were willing to move to Dubai and work as prostitutes.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Director: Jared Hess
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Rating: 3/5
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Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
