Tricked and Trapped: Human Trafficking in the Middle East, ‎pdf 4.1 MB

one nightclub owner in Amman. 144 The migration process is more difficult
for women from certain countries of origin. For example, prospective workers
from Uzbekistan need to obtain an exit visa from the Uzbek authorities if
they wish to travel anywhere other than countries in the Commonwealth of
Independent States or Turkey. Hence, they will need to travel first to one of
these transit countries, where they can then obtain fake papers from an agent
to migrate to the Gulf countries. 145
Box 3.10. How artists are recruited
“I have several ways of recruiting. Some girls who work with me suggest
their friends. The friend sends me her photo and passport copy. She must
be beautiful for me to hire her. If I like her, I take care of her papers and
send the visa. Also, I work a little with agencies. I also directly recruit girls
who are already working at another nightclub but come to find work in my
club. Girls stay two to four years and their ages range from 25 to 35.”
Interview with a nightclub owner in Amman, Jordan, 16 November 2011.
Opinions varied on whether the artists were deceived in respect of the nature
of the work they would be expected to do. In Lebanon, for instance, an
official from the GDGS asserted: “They know what they are getting into
before arriving. If they are not happy with their work as artists, they can
leave. There is a long waiting list of women who would like to work in the
super nightclubs so impresarios and employers never have to force them to
work.” 146 Certainly, these women know that they can make good money in
a short space of time. An official of the Russian Embassy in Lebanon added:
“The Russian women who come here are from very poor families. I believe
they know the disadvantages of their work.” 147 A Lebanese journalist made
a similar assessment, saying: “A minority of women think that they are only
coming here to dance and they discover when they arrive that it is more
than that. If a girl refuses, she will not be able to earn more than US$200
or US$300 which is her monthly salary until the end of her contract. Those
women that are in need of money did not come all this way to Lebanon for
300 US$ a month.” 148
144
Interview with an owner of nightclub, Amman, Jordan, 16 Nov. 2011.
145
Vivere: Report on activities, Sep. 2012, pp. 20–21.
146
Interview with an official from the GDGS, Lebanon, 27 Sep. 2011.
147
Interview with an official from the Embassy of the Russian Federation, UAE,
31 Jan. 2012.
148
Interview with a journalist, Lebanon, 3 May 2012.
82