Women lured by fake jobs, forced into exploitation

TDT | Manama

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A Facebook job advertisement led two young women into a human trafficking case in Bahrain, after they were allegedly deceived with false employment promises and forced into sexual exploitation, according to court records.

The High Criminal Court of Appeal upheld earlier rulings sentencing two defendants to five years in prison each, along with fines of BD2,000. The court also ordered them to cover the costs of repatriating the victims before deportation after serving their sentences.

The defendants were convicted of trafficking two Arab women and exploiting them for prostitution.

Court documents showed that one of the victims, a 23-year-old woman, responded to a Facebook advertisement offering a restaurant job in Bahrain. After contacting one of the defendants, travel arrangements were made for her and another woman who had also been recruited through similar claims.

Upon arrival, the victims were received at the airport and taken to an apartment, where they later testified they were held and forced into prostitution. They said clients were brought to them and that the defendants controlled the proceeds, providing only limited payments under the pretext of repaying travel and visa costs.

Bahrain’s Anti-Human Trafficking Directorate said investigations revealed the victims had been lured under false promises of work before being coerced into sexual exploitation.

One defendant admitted to recruiting women for prostitution, while the other acknowledged assisting in managing the operation and collecting money for the first defendant.