Man gets jail, caning, for human trafficking after Singaporean woman became sex worker in Dubai

Achraf Arjaouy, a 32-year-old Italian citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison, six canings, and a $9,000 fine on October 7 for trafficking a Singaporean woman into the sex industry in Dubai. The conviction came after a trial in April, and Arjaouy will serve an additional six weeks in jail if he fails to pay the fine. The victim, identified as V1 in court, initially agreed to travel with Arjaouy to Dubai to marry him en route to Qatar.

However, Arjaouy never intended to marry her and took advantage of her vulnerability. Upon arriving in Dubai, Arjaouy lied about needing proof of funds and forced V1 to become a sex worker to earn the money. He also took intimate photos of her, created escort profiles, and solicited customers for her while booking a hotel for her services.

V1 contracted a sexually transmitted disease in September 2021 and left the sex industry. Arjaouy has 16 other pending charges, including multiple counts of cheating, which will be handled separately.