3 jailed in Abu Dhabi for forcing teens into sex trade

Two men and a woman have been sentenced to 10 years in prison after they were found guilty of human trafficking.
The Dubai Court of First Instance found the three Bangladeshis guilty of forcing two compatriot teenaged girls into giving illegal massages and prostitution.
The convicts, who are in their forties, will be deported at the end of their prison sentence.
According to prosecution records, the three convicts brought the two girls, aged 15 and 19, from their country to work as maid and masseuse.
However, once they picked them up from the airport, they seized their passports and forced them to give illegal massages to men and to work in prostitution. The convicts assaulted and threatened the two girls.
The girls were forced to work from 10am to midnight without being fully paid.
The 19-year-old Bangladeshi girl said in the investigation that she used to study at a science college in Bangladesh. She arrived at the Sharjah International Airport on September 9 last year to work at a massage centre.
She was taken to a flat in Deira where she stayed for six months. She was dropped at different flats across Dubai, where she gave massages to men.
Initially, she refused to give the massages, but was forced to after one of the convicts assaulted her with a belt and a stick.
One day, she sought the help of a customer to lodge a police complaint. This came after the convicts told her she would have to work as a prostitute to make more money.
A policeman said they raided a flat in Al Rafaa after being tipped off on March 1.
They found women of different nationalities giving massages and working as prostitutes. Two of them looked like they were "less than 18 years old", said the officer.
The verdict may be appealed within 15 days.
mary@khaleejtimes.com