A Pakistani duo who trafficked two teenagers across multiple countries have lost their appeal against a seven-year prison sentence and a BD2,000 fine.
The court heard that the 32-year-old man and the 40-year-old woman brought two minor sisters, aged 16 and 17, to Bahrain via Saudi Arabia, then forced them into sex work.
The High Criminal Court initially found them guilty of depriving the girls of their freedom, coercing them into prostitution using threats of violence, and relying on the income generated through their exploitation.
In addition to the jail time and fine, the judges ordered that they be deported after completion of their sentences, and pay for the victims’ return trips to their home country.
The pimps contested the verdict at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court, but the previous ruling was upheld.
The older victim earlier testified that the sisters, also Pakistani, were promised an opportunity to earn money by an unidentified individual – known only as ‘Rana’ – and travelled to Bahrain for it.
Upon arrival, the defendants took advantage of the sisters’ vulnerable situation and financial hardship, housing them in a hotel in Juffair and forcing them to have sex with clients in exchange for money.
After each encounter, the appellants would snatch the money leaving the victims with nothing.
The sisters said they had initially resisted involvement in such activities but were driven by their financial circumstances and became fully dependent on the income generated from meeting clients.
They added that they were repeatedly threatened if they failed to comply and were locked in a room for days on end.
The case came to light after an officer from the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science’s Anti-Human Trafficking Directorate received a report about the victims.
Authorities immediately launched an investigation, which confirmed that the two victims – who were below 18 years of age – were being forced into the vice trade against their will by a trafficking network.
The suspects were arrested, and the girls freed from their ordeal.
Following interrogation and the presentation of evidence, the defendants were referred to the High Criminal Court on charges of human trafficking through coercion, forcing minors into prostitution using threats and deception, unlawfully depriving them of their liberty for financial gain and confiscating their earnings.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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