Dubai court raps Indian men for confining women

Dubai: Three Indian men were charged in a Dubai court for unlawfully confining 19 Filipina women hotel workers and not allowing them to go out during free time for a period of one month.

The men, who were identified by the initials of their names -- SS, 41, an electrician, KM, 61, a supervisor, and KA, 54, a cook -- were tried in the Dubai Court of First Instance Tuesday for unlawfully locking up the women, who worked for a hotel, from sunset to sunrise for a period of one month at a residence in Al Mutainah in Dubai, the Gulf News reported.

The women worked for a hotel in Al Muraqqabat area in Dubai as receptionists, housekeepers, cleaners and maids.

According to the report, as soon as the women finished work, the trio would lock them inside the villa and keep them confined until the next morning.

The trio, who are out on bail, however, pleaded not guilty in the court.

Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal adjourned the case to Nov 24 when counsel for defence will present his case.

"I was hired on a 600 dirhams ($163) salary. Since I started work, the senior workers told me that it was against the hotel's policy to go out of the residence during free time or after work or on holidays," a women was quoted as saying.

"Our job shift was from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. As soon as we returned to the residence, the defendants would lock the doors and prevent us from going out. We were forced to agree because we had no other choice and we were forced also to be obedient to earn a living," she said.

"However, they used to take us out once a month to go shopping under the supervision of one of the company's supervisors and we used to be kept under surveillance even during official holidays," she added.

Prosecution records cited the defendants admitting that they locked up the women for their own safety.