Two sentenced for human trafficking and exploitation of restaurant worker

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A 35-year-old businessman and a 25-year-old supervisor, both Asian nationals, have been sentenced by the High Criminal Court to three years in prison and a fine of 2,000 Bahraini dinars each for human trafficking and exploiting a restaurant worker. The court also ordered them to cover the costs of repatriating the victim.

The two defendants were charged with trafficking a woman who was brought to Bahrain on a tourist visa under false pretenses. They were accused of forcing her into servitude by receiving, transporting, and sheltering her under duress, involving physical assault and threats, with the intent of exploiting her for forced labour. The victim was made to work long hours without pay and under poor conditions, and was coerced into engaging with customers, some of whom were allowed to harass her.

The supervisor was additionally charged with stealing the victim's passport, which had been entrusted to her. According to the victim's testimony, she had been recruited by the supervisor for a waitress job where her pay depended solely on customer tips. She explained that she was forced to interact with customers inappropriately, including physical contact and phone calls, to boost tips. When she resisted, she was assaulted, and her phone was confiscated. The victim eventually managed to escape, and two other women provided similar accounts of exploitation.

A police investigator testified that the defendants had been involved in bringing women to Bahrain under false promises of waitressing jobs. These roles, however, provided no base salary and required women to work up to 12 hours a day without rest days, solely relying on tips. Their passports were also confiscated. The investigator further explained that the victim was lured to Bahrain with promises of a waitressing job, only to be subjected to forced labour and denied the ability to return home.