The UAE exploits the war in Ukraine to attract women for prostitution
Informed sources revealed that Emirate and Israeli companies cooperated in exploiting the war in Ukraine to attract women to prostitution in both countries.
The sources told Emirates Leaks that dozens of Ukrainian women and other nationalities were recently brought to the UAE under this cooperation.
The sources indicated that these are distributed equally to Dubai and Tel Aviv to work in the prostitution market under the supervision of Emirati and Israeli tourism companies.
Yedioth Ahronoth confirmed that the fighting in Ukraine led to another horrific phenomenon: the increase of trafficking in women and their recruitment into the prostitution market in both Israel and the UAE.
The newspaper stated that specialized companies are taking advantage of the plight of Ukrainian women and displaced women from the war zone to engage in the shameful prostitution market in Dubai and Tel Aviv.
Some three million refugees were forced to flee Ukraine in recent weeks after Russia’s war on the country, mostly women and children who found themselves in an instant – without shelter, clothing, food and the ability to earn a living.
Thousands of refugees have arrived in Israel since the outbreak of the war. In recent days, it has been suspected that there are those who are exploiting this horrific phenomenon to fuel the prostitution market in Israel and the UAE.
The UAE is ranked first in the world in prostitution and alcohol consumption.
The Emirati Organization for Human Rights has previously prepared a special report for the United Nations on human trafficking and sexual exploitation of female workers and minors in the UAE.
The organization said that the prostitution trade in the UAE takes place under the cover of government officials, as nightclubs and liquor stores operate in the country despite the UAE law prohibiting that.
The organization highlighted that arrest and torture await anyone who objects to officials’ decisions in the UAE regime, while informed sources confirm that there are 30,000 prostitutes in Dubai only. A large number of young people also practice sodomy under an official cover.
Young men and girls enter the UAE by obtaining a visit visa, later becoming a working visit.
A documentary film screening hosted by the University of Florence has also exposed the UAE as a country of prostitution and human trafficking, reinforcing a series of international reports that have previously emphasized the corruption of the UAE regime and its grave violations of human rights.
The Express revealed that the 50-minute documentary film deals with the spread of prostitution and human trafficking in the UAE under the title Not For Sale.
The newspaper stated that the film represents a shockingly documented investigation, as it was implemented over two years in sex trafficking and forced prostitution in the Middle East, especially the UAE.
According to the newspaper, the documentary reveals how this deadly trade is organized, who is behind the world’s third most profitable crime, and who are the victims.
Using secret photography, interviews and expert analysis, the film exposes human rights abuses and how women seeking jobs in the service sector are trafficked under pretences from countries as diverse as Moldova, where they end up as sex slaves.
The film follows survivors of rehabilitation shelters in Eastern Europe as they try to bring the victims back to life, and presents their personal stories, with interviews with many prominent professionals working in prevention, advocacy, law enforcement, academic and institutional research, including human rights and anti-trafficking activists.
According to the International Labor Organization, forced labour alone generates $150 billion in revenue, while in Europe and Central Asia, 62 per cent of trafficking victims are used for the purposes of sexual exploitation, of whom 96 per cent are women and girls.
Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. Because of this, it is a central station for recruitment, as women and girls are sent to massage parlours in the Emirates and then exploited for prostitution.
The documentary highlights that the legal status of foreigners in the UAE carries extensive human rights violations, as it is utterly dependent on the employer, who can withhold papers and the salary of any employee without any protection from the state.
The film revealed that in 2010 there were 15 child victims (ages 13-17) out of 152 victims who were all trafficked for sexual exploitation. In 2012 there were 6 child victims (aged 14-17) who were only identified out of the 75 victims.
The film also revealed that children are victims of sexual and labour exploitation in the UAE, and the authorities in the country are shockingly ignoring the phenomenon of human trafficking.
The documentary criticized the authorities’ failure in the UAE to address the phenomena of smuggling networks for human trafficking. In an interview in the film, human rights activist Maya Garner calls for European countries to redouble their efforts to address the horrific phenomenon of human trafficking in the UAE and pressure Abu Dhabi to stop turning a blind eye to the victims’ suffering.
Last October, a television investigation shed light on the spread of human trafficking and prostitution in the UAE. The investigation, broadcast by the Greek Vouli channel, revealed the growing phenomenon of human trafficking, sex and forced prostitution in the UAE, which falsely promotes itself as one of the most advanced countries.
The investigation confirmed that the UAE is witnessing many human rights violations, especially trafficking in women looking for jobs in the service sector, noting that many agencies sexually exploit women working in massage parlours.
