Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Oman punishes prostitutes with prison and deportation

I just noticed the unusual report published in the Tribune on July 5th, about a pimp and some prostitutes getting busted by the ROP. Yes readers, SHOCK HORROR! – Oman has brothels. Who would’ve imagined that? The brothel bust was also confirmed by Juma al-Juma, Minister of manpower, in an interview with the Financial Times on 14th July.

The issue I have with the report is the usual treatment that was meted out to the poor working girls, i.e. 6 months in prison followed by deportation.

I don’t know the specifics of the girls, but it is very, very often the case that such women are not being prostitutes because they like the work. In fact, such illegal brothels are usually staffed by women being forced to have sex. Against their will, and usually with regular violence and rape too. Many such women are effectively sex slaves, and typical victims of human trafficking. But the standard response here (and elsewhere in the Gulf) is to punish them even more. Another reason why Oman deserved Tier 3, if you ask me.

A significant side effect of such treatment is the women can’t even go to the authorities. In fact, being turned over to the ROP will be used as yet another threat against them. Its disgusting.

The press too, as usual, don’t follow up. Why not interview the girls? How many prostitutes were there? Who were their clients? How did they get into this business? Where was the brothel? And who was his Omani sponsor - aren't the sponsors of expats also held partially responsible for their crimes? (Plus, I imagine its a pretty full time job being a pimp and running a brothel. His sponsor didn't know? Yeah right...)

And how co-incidental that it happened right after the US State dept report… Fancy that!
Police raid brothel
By A Staff Reporter
July 5th 2008
MUSCAT The Royal Oman Police arrested a person of Asian origin for running a brothel.

The arrested person was trying to persuade the sponsor of a lady who was under the custody of Seeb police to allow her to work with him after paying him a considerable amount of money, said an official source at the General Prosecution.

The suspect was put under surveillance and it was found that he was running a brothel.

The General Prosecution issued a warrant against the accused after it was found that his house was turned into a brothel.

The accused was charged for running a brothel and was referred to the court which ordered the pimp to one year imprisonment and the prostitutes to six months imprisonment and deportation.

General Prosecution has called upon the local residents to report such incidents or any illegal practices that contravene with the Omani society to the police.
Unless you're a prostitute that is, because then we'll throw you in prison.

I have a feeling that, despite the protests over the tier 3, there may well be a hell of a lot more brothels in Oman than the one busted earlier this month.

Here's the story of just 1 such woman, as published in the Times of India on the 30th March earlier this year.
KOCHI: It was midnight when Salim's (name changed) flight landed in Muscat on March 14. The weather was strange and so were the faces. All he had was Rs 6,000. But he knew he couldn't afford to despair.

As he rode a taxi to Ruwi City, Salim had one prayer on his lips - his wife should be alive. The last he had heard from her was a wail, before the call to their home in Malappuram in Kerala went blank.

The 32-year-old man had no idea that his wife had been trapped in a deadly, organised prostitution racket. She was sold and resold several times in Oman, where she was promised a job as a housemaid.

But he was determined to save her even if it meant risking his life. His efforts succeeded when Oman police, with the help of the Indian embassy, rescued her on March 23.

Arabian dreams lured Salim and his wife after he suffered business losses last year. The couple, married for two years, approached an agent who agreed to arrange visas for them - a housemaid's job for her and something else for him. Her visa came first and she left for Muscat on January 21, 2008 leaving behind Salim.

After about 40 days, he got a call from her. In between sobs, she told him that she had been cheated and would end her life. He was shattered but decided to rescue her at any cost. He then approached the same agent for a visa.

In Muscat, he got in touch with a man involved in the flesh trade and asked him to get his wife without revealing his relationship with her. The man took him to her for 35 riyals (Rs 3,500).

"They had lodged her on the terrace of what looked like a commercial complex. She cried and fainted as soon as she saw me but I reassured her saying I will be around. They became suspicious and tortured her into disclosing my identity," Salim told TOI from Muscat.

During their meeting, she narrated her woeful tale. "As soon as she arrived, the agent took her to a house where three men assaulted her. Then she was sold for 700 riyals to a pimp who would use her to satisfy as many as 30 men a day. He resold her for 200 riyals to one Jayalakshmi, a Keralite pimp."

11 comments:

  1. They get locked-up kicked-out every summer as the schools breakout for their holidays. Nothing new.

    Ahmed

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  2. The Government of India iirc banned women under 30 from emigrating to work as domestic help in the Gulf and parts of Africa and Southeast Asia in a bid to curb sex trafficking. There was also a move to make a mandatory requirement for overseas domestic workers to deposit their passports with the local Indian embassy or consulate however from what has happened now it is evident that no efforts have been made. One can only hope that this incident will serve as an eye opener and that our government will stop issuing domestic helps, visas to foreign countries.

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  3. Agreed it’s the Pimps that need locking up for life for their “Human Trafficking” however some are so powerful that they boast their ability to take on and punish staff within the organisations of senior Omani Sheiks …..

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  4. Please tell us what the best way is to combat this phenomenon? What should be done with the prostitutes when they are caught? Do does the the non GCC world combat Prostitution effectively?

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  5. My dear Under cover dragon,
    You are bringing out lots of interesting news, which we don't get to see in the media here. Thanks for your efforts.

    There are big names involved in this "brothel" and liquor business. Take my friendly advice, it is better you stop digging further lest you will lose your job and invite trouble.

    There used to be one website 3/4 years ago called "kerala monitor" which was very popular because one guy called VM Satheesh was regularly coming out with scoops about Indian schools, illegal business of big business guys here, non-payment of wages to daily laborers by big contractors etc. He was thrown out from here in no time. The clout of business people here is so high that they even managed to get the Indian ambassador who tried to intevene in the Indian School Management summarily dismissed.

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  6. My dear Under cover dragon,
    You are bringing out lots of interesting news, which we don't get to see in the media here. Thanks for your efforts.

    There are big names involved in this "brothel" and liquor business. Take my friendly advice, it is better you stop digging further lest you will lose your job and invite trouble.

    There used to be one website 3/4 years ago called "kerala monitor" which was very popular because one guy called VM Satheesh was regularly coming out with scoops about Indian schools, illegal business of big business guys here, non-payment of wages to daily laborers by big contractors etc. He was thrown out from here in no time. The clout of business people here is so high that they even managed to get the Indian ambassador who tried to intevene in the Indian School Management summarily dismissed.

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  7. Omanymous,
    It varies hugely, especially dependent on whether prostitution is legal or not. Where it is legal, there are easier access to Government inspections (STD tests, work permits, passports, etc), and even recognised sex workers unions. Where illegal, there are systematic 'raids' and much more focus on pimps and madams than the poor girls. But there is no easy answer.

    Anon
    Thanks for the warning, but thats why I try to stay anonymous myself. However, things have improved a lot in Oman these past 5 years, and I suspect as well I have enough wasta of my own... In addition, I am at great pains to remain within the law of Oman and to avoid libel.

    Unfortunately this means many things I get sent or find out abiout I can't comment on. This is the life...

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  8. Dear undercover,
    We would like to here more on the sacking of one minister in UAE. Any idea as to what were the real reasons.
    Thanks in advance
    Best regards

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  9. UD - so where it is illegal.. do they ever go to jail?

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  10. Anon,
    see latest post

    Omanymous
    It varies hugely. In some place almost certainly yes, at least after repeat offences. However, where the women are not locals working for drugs and money, but are illegals under the thumb of a pimp, no, not usually. They would probably be counciled and handed over to one of the many charities and repatriated.

    If you'd been kidnapped and forced to have have sex for money with threats and regular beatings, and were then arrested and imprisoned, wouldn't you feel somewhat annoyed to be punished again for something you never wanted to do? Or that the people who did that only got a year in prison?

    And generally, its up to Oman to decide how best to deal with problems - just because other parts of the world may hold forced prostitution not to be dealt with with compassion shouldn't be used as an excuse for how we chose to deal with it. One can always find a country where abominable things are done. Lets not set our standards at the lowest bar.

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  11. what about the spread of HIV and other disease, you only have to drive past the holiday inn in Al Khuwair to see the prostitutes lined up,and I heard the hotel bring them in on their visas as cleaners,housemaids etc, as its good for business.

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