The mystery of Ugandan girls being harassed both sexually and mentally in the middle east countries has notched heights after another girl currently came out to share her experience while in Dubai when she had gone for work.
The 21-year-old is currently undergoing psychological treatment and counseling after contracting HIV/ AIDS in the United Arab Emirates where she had been forced to offer commercial sex services.
The Deputy Coordinator of the National Prevention of Trafficking in Persons at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ms. Agnes Igoye explains that the said girl (whose names remain withheld because of the sensitivity of the story) was allegedly taken to Dubai in 2020 by a fellow Ugandan lady only identified as Cathy who told her that she was to be recruited as a waitress in a restaurant in Dubai.
Igoye explains that the victim had all her expenses including the flight ticket paid for by Cathy who also processed a visit visa for her after promising to help her get a work visa on arrival in Dubai.
“Upon arrival in Dubai, her passport and other documents were confiscated by Cathy and was forced into commercial sex where the proceeds were being paid to Cathy,” Igoye explained during Monday’s security briefing at police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala.
Cathy, according to the victim is based in Dubai and has started in the United Arab Emirates for quite some time.
According to the 21-year-old girl, she spent over two years from February 2020 to May this year working as a commercial sex worker in Dubai and all this time, the proceeds would go to Cathy in a bid to help her recover the money she had injected into her while leaving Uganda in form of the visa and travel ticket.
However, as luck would have it, the 21-year-old victim managed to escape and was assisted by unidentified people to return home earlier this month.
According to her narration, when she landed at the Entebbe Airport, a Counter-Terrorism Police officer, identified as Samuel Wabusajja confiscated her passport but also arrested the 21-year-old girl in a bid to detain her.
According to Igoye, when the Counter-Terrorism Police officer handed the 21-year-old victim to Sseguya, she refused and caused a commotion that attracted other police officers at Entebbe Airport.
“He escorted her outside the airport and handed her plus her documents to another man identified as Jib Sseguya who was waiting outside,” Igoye said.
Consequently, she was taken together with Sseguya to Entebbe Aviation Police for the matter to be sorted.
However, to the shock of police officers, the Counter-Terrorism Police officer, Wabusajja who had earlier confiscated and arrested the 21-year-old girl together with Sseguya were part of the racket that had facilitated the trafficking of the girl to Dubai and wanted to detain her until she pays shs20 million that she owed to Cathy who was in Dubai.
“On arrest, Sseguya stated that he had instructions from his boss, Cathy based in Dubai to hold the victim until she paid shs20 million which she used to facilitate her travel to Dubai because she had left without completing the job she had been given of commercial sex,” Igoye said.
“It has been established the victim was trafficked and placed under the situation of bondage because her travel had been facilitated by Cathy who later confiscated her documents and forced her into commercial sex.”
Igoye applauded the Aviation Police officers who came to the help of the 21-year-old victim, noting that Sseguya and the Counter-Terrorism Police officer have been arrested over the matter.
Contracted HIV
Ms Igoye said upon being subjected to several tests, it was later found out that the 21-year-old victim had contracted HIV/AIDS. “Upon examination, it was established the victim had acquired HIV/AIDS but had also got pregnant. It has been established that the suspects were operating in a syndicate,” Igoye noted.
The case of the 21-year-old girl is a reflection of the plight of many young Ugandan girls who have been trafficked to the Middle East and many other countries abroad with promises of better-paying jobs.
Due to the high levels of unemployment in the country, especially among youths, many of these are easily deceived by offers of better-paying jobs abroad.
These operate in syndicates with those responsible for recruiting based here at home and use social media to advertise jobs abroad.
They also promised to process passports, travel fees, and work permits for the unsuspecting Ugandans and inform them they can pay after starting to work.
They are later helped either via Entebbe Airport or transported via the road and board from Kenya to the Middle East where other members of the syndicate are waiting for the victims.
However, on arrival at the airport, the travel documents including passports and phones are confiscated and ordered to do commercial sex in order to repay the money used to facilitate their travel.
It is because of this that many Ugandan girls have been forced to offer commercial sex in the Middle East against their will.
Many of them commit suicide because of being forced to do this against their will.
However, Agnes Igoye, the deputy national coordinator for prevention of trafficking in persons in the Ministry of Internal Affairs warns Ugandans against travelling abroad for work via unlicensed recruitment agencies but also without formal work contracts and work visas.
She says despite some “bad apples” there are so many success stories by Ugandans working abroad.
“There are several recruitment agencies which are doing the right thing and every day, an average of 30 Ugandans return home after completing their contracts. Report those cases and investigations happen,” Igoye said.
This story has been adapted from NilePost.
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