Trial of human trafficking gang adjourned

TDT | Manama

The First High Criminal Court recently adjourned a case involving two Bangladeshi men and two Indonesian women who are accused of forcing a housemaid into prostitution and restricting her freedom. The Court announced the next hearing to be on Tuesday next week to appoint defence attorneys and an interpreter.

According to the victim, who is an Indonesian domestic worker, the incident began in April of this year when she was persuaded by one of the female defendants to escape from her employer’s house. The victim said she was convinced after she was promised a job as a part-time housemaid with better pay.

The victim said she was taken to an apartment in Hoora in the Capital Governorate, where she was locked and forced to repeatedly have sex with different customers in return for pay which would be collected by one of the male defendants. This situation continued until one day she was able to contact the Indonesian Embassy in Bahrain to report her ordeal.

The Embassy immediately informed Hoora Police Station about the matter and a force of policewomen was deployed to further investigate the complaint. The force raided the apartment and was able to rescue the woman and arrest three of the suspects—one of the men and both women.

The prime suspect confessed in the interrogation that he has been working in Bahrain for 12 years and that he has been in an illicit relationship with one of the female defendants for five years. He said that he brought customers to have sex with his girlfriend for BD5.

The man told interrogators that the gang expanded after the other female defendant joined them in their illegal activities, while the second male defendant, who is still at large, facilitated them in bringing customers and promoting their activities.

gThe defendants are facing the charges of human trafficking, illegally restricting the freedom of the victim and forcing her to practice prostitution, depending on vice for a living and establishing and running a brothel.