.jpg?20260313')
The Public Prosecution has urged judges to impose the maximum penalty on a stepmother accused of sex-trafficking her teenage stepdaughter.
The 38-year-old woman is on trial at the High Criminal Court for allegedly flying the minor girl from Pakistan to Bahrain after ‘persuading’ her to enter the vice trade.
She has also been charged with transporting the girl between two residential flats with the intent to exploit her for personal gain, as well as encouraging and aiding the minor in engaging in prostitution.
The Pakistani woman has been accused of relying on income generated through the victim’s involvement in the vice trade.
The girl, whose age was only specified as ‘under 18 years’, was brought to the island by her step-mum reportedly with the purpose of getting her to practise sex work.
“Your Honours, words fail me when I try to describe how foul this crime is,” a prosecutor addressed judges yesterday.
“Standing before you is someone who has shed all of their human morality, and has violated the rights and dignity of others.
“In a world overrun by desire and inundated with temptations, in which devils run loose, it is imperative for the good to take a stand – and Your Honours are chief among the good in this nation.
“Hence, Your Honours must rule with an iron fist, and stem this corruption that threatens our Islamic society, penalising the defendant to the greatest extent of the law.”
The court set February 10 as the date to issue a verdict in the case.
The GDN earlier reported that, due to her age, the alleged victim was designated as being ‘in a state where she is unable to give consent’ in court documents.
A policeman testified that, according to information he obtained, the Pakistani step-mum ‘brought clients from various nationalities’, who she was able to attract through social media platforms.
She reportedly ‘advertised victim’s body to them’, offering them sex for money. The girl has been since sent to a shelter, and the defendant admitted to charges.
“I came to Bahrain accompanied by the defendant – my father’s wife – after she persuaded me to enter the sex work scene,” the girl told the Public Prosecution.
“As soon as we arrived, we went to a hotel, where we stayed for five days, then we moved to another hotel.
“Then, the defendant began bringing customers to me, who were seeking pleasure, and I received money from them, which I would then hand over to the defendant.”
According to a report from the Anti-Human Trafficking Directorate, the defendant coerced and threatened a girl of the same nationality into engaging in unlawful activities for personal financial gain.
As per statistics released by the Interior Ministry, Bahrain has registered 39 human trafficking cases this year.
The country has retained its Tier 1 status in fighting human trafficking, for the eighth consecutive year in a row, according to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 2025 report, released by the US State Department,
Between April 2024 and April 2025, authorities investigated 44 cases involving 101 alleged traffickers – 12 for sex trafficking and 32 for labour trafficking. Officials prosecuted 48 perpetrators.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))