Human Trafficking Sentence Reduced: Three Women Forced Into Nightclub Dancing

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has reduced the sentence of a woman and a man convicted of human trafficking from three years to one year in prison. The defendants were initially found guilty of trafficking three women after promising them jobs as food servers, only to force them into dancing at a nightclub against their will.

The First Instance Criminal Court had sentenced both defendants to three years in prison, a fine of three thousand Bahraini dinars each, and ordered them to cover the costs of returning the victims to their home country. The first defendant was also ordered to be permanently deported from Bahrain upon completion of her sentence.

The Public Prosecution had charged the defendants with human trafficking between 2023 and 2024. The defendants were accused of receiving, transporting, housing, and recruiting the three victims, exploiting their vulnerable circumstances and personal situations, and rendering them unable to give their consent. They were further accused of illegally detaining the victims to force them into labour, exploiting them for forced labor, and confiscating their passports, which had been entrusted to the defendants.

The second defendant was also accused of assault against the second victim, which resulted in injuries that healed over time.

According to the court's findings, the three victims contacted the first defendant in 2023 and 2024, who promised them lucrative employment opportunities in Bahrain as food servers. The defendant arranged their travel and booked their flights. Upon arrival, the second defendant met them and transported them to the first defendant's apartment in Juffair. The first victim was also taken to the same residence.

The defendants forced the victims to stay at the apartment against their will. The first defendant locked the apartment door to prevent them from leaving and forced them to work as dancers in nightclubs without their consent, threatening them with being placed on a wanted list.

The first victim did not receive any of her wages, while the second victim refused to work as a dancer. This led to the second defendant physically assaulting her, causing injuries. The first victim managed to contact a relative, who reported the incident to the Nabih Saleh Police Station.

The Human Trafficking and Vice Control Department managed to free the victims from their captivity. A secret investigation conducted by an officer confirmed the victims' accounts. The court found the defendants guilty based on the victims' testimonies and the medical report pertaining to the second victim's injuries.