Stories

Trafficking in persons goes on all over the world, both in developed countries and less developed countries.

Exactly how it happens varies from place to place and from culture to culture. But one thing never changes – the suffering of the victims.

Here are some true stories from outside Oman of people who became victims of human trafficking. They are based on public, verified records.

Justice for a victim

Two dinarsM left her family in Country 1 to work as a servant in Country 2. Her plan was to send money each month from what she earned to her family back home. M was sponsored by the lady of the house, Mrs S. M was led to believe that she would be working for her.

But M’s master turned out to be Mr S, the head of the household. He exploited M ruthlessly. M’s agreed salary was a minimum of 25 dinars a day. Yet Mr S paid her just two dinars a day.

It became clear that Mr S’s plan had always been to make money for himself out of M’s work. He threatened her physically and forced her to work long hours in other homes, pocketing her earnings for himself.

Eventually, M managed to make a complaint to the police. Mr S was taken to court and convicted of breaking the law. Mr S was sentenced to six months in prison, and ordered to pay 1,000 dinars compensation to M.

Successful prosecution

Resident cardA and a group of other women were promised good pay if they agreed to travel to a Gulf country to work as waitresses in a nightclub. A accepted the offer hoping to send her pay home and so help support her family.

A local handler gave A fake papers showing she was married to a citizen of the Gulf country, so she could get in. New handlers in the Gulf country provided A with a fake residency permit and a place to live.

But the nightclub didn’t exist. Instead, a team of 13 traffickers passed A and her friends through a series of houses which were operating secretly as brothels. The houses were in several Gulf countries.

A and her friends were forced to work as prostitutes. The traffickers paid A and her friends only part of the money they had promised them; the rest they kept for themselves.

The gang was arrested in December 2010 and prosecuted under the law.

All but two of the accused were sentenced to seven years in prison and then permanently deported. After the trial A and her friends were sent home to be reunited with their families.