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

Some claim that the situation of artists in the super nightclubs in Lebanon is
different, because the premises are regularly inspected by both the police and
immigration officials. 167 A super nightclub owner interviewed said he always
paid the women their full salaries, as “they have the phone number of the
immigration authorities, who would come down on me hard if I didn’t pay
them”. 168 However, not all the perpetrators are deterred by fear of inspection.
The head of the ISF recalled a case of an artist from Kazakhstan who asked his
patrol for help: “When the patrol arrived at the nightclub, the artist approached
the officers and told them she was subjected to abuse. She had been forced to
prostitute herself, deprived of her income and was not provided with food.” 169
Confiscation of personal documents, isolation and confinement
In much the same way as other low-skilled migrant workers in the Middle East,
sex workers frequently found that their identity documents were confiscated.
An owner of a super nightclub in Lebanon said: “I must have the passports
but she can go any time she likes.” Another sex worker interviewed in a
nightclub in Jordan admitted: “The employer keeps the passport, it stays in the
office.” A sex worker in the UAE also acknowledged that “Madam takes the
passport”. By taking charge of identity documents, the employer increases his
or her control over the worker and severely limits her chances of leaving an
exploitative situation.
167
In Lebanon, the ISF monitor super nightclubs, nightclubs, bars and massage parlours.
The GDGS also visits the super nightclubs up to twice a week to check the presence of
the artists. Inspections are also performed on an ad hoc basis in the 23 or so hotels where
the artists are accommodated.
168
Interview with an owner of a super nightclub, Lebanon, 24 Apr. 2012.
169
According to the ISF, this case was referred to the Appellate Prosecutor’s Office in
Mount Lebanon on 17 May 2009.
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