A former London bus driver, Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, has been jailed for operating an illegal prostitution ring in Dubai. An undercover investigation by BBC Eye and the World Secrets podcast exposed how he lured vulnerable young women to the UAE under the pretence of stable employment, only to force them into degrading sexual acts.
Women who spoke to the BBC described being trapped in a coercive system. A man named Troy, who worked for Mwesigwa, alleged that upon arrival, the women were told they owed money for flights, visas and living costs, with prostitution being the only way to repay the debt. “They see musicians, they see footballers, they see presidents. It doesn't matter what those girls go through as long as Abbey’s rich clients are happy. These girls, they have no escape route,” Troy said.
One woman, known as ‘Mia’, said clients regularly asked for women to let them defecate on them. She noted that most clients were white Europeans, drawn by the women's reputation for extreme acts. Another woman trafficked from Uganda recounted a client offering 15,000 dirhams (£3,013) to gang-rape her, urinate on her face, beat her, and an extra 5,000 dirhams (£1,004) for being recorded eating faeces. She said her resistance only increased their interest.
In a related incident, Ukrainian model Maria Kovalchuk, 20, suffered a broken spine and fractured limbs, and was found by a roadside in March. She is now wheelchair-bound after allegedly falling from a height. Friends fear she may have been a victim of the infamous “Porta Potty” parties, where wealthy men pay to mistreat young women.
Mwesigwa denied the allegations, claiming he is merely a party organiser who helps women find accommodation. However, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to prison. The case has shed light on the dark underbelly of Dubai's party scene and the exploitation of vulnerable women.
