How Ugandan girl got pregnant, contracted HIV after being forced into commercial sex in Dubai

A Ugandan girl, aged 21 years is currently undergoing psychological treatment and counseling after contracting HIV/ AIDS from the United Arab Emirates where she had been forced to offer commercial sex services.

According to Agnes Igoye, the deputy national coordinator for prevention of trafficking in persons in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the girl whose names have not been revealed to ensure her privacy but to also avoid being stigmatized was taken to Dubai in 2020 by a fellow Ugandan based in Dubai only identified as Cathy with a promise of helping her secure a job as a waitress.

“She was recruited after being told she was going to work as a waitress in a restaurant in Dubai,” Igoye said.

She explained that before boarding the plane to Dubai, the victim had all her expenses including the flight ticket paid for 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.”

According to the 21 year old she spent more than 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.

Return home

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.

“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.

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.

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

The deputy coordinator in charge of trafficking in persons in the Ministry of Internal Affairs 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 are trafficked to 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 with 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 informing 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 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 says.