Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: World News, Documentaries, BBC, Dubai
Brenna Cooper
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and racial discrimination which some readers may find distressing.
A young woman has revealed the explicit and degrading acts she was asked to perform at Dubai's 'porta potty' parties.
'Dubai porta potty' has become an infamous term on the internet within recent years, suggesting that young women are travelling to the UAE city and being paid high amounts of money to take part in sex acts involving human waste.
The term has been floating around on social media over the past couple of years and has been used as a way to shame influencers who frequently travel to the wealthy Middle Eastern country, recently cropping up again with the case of Ukrainian model Maria Kovalchuk.
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However, a new programme produced by BBC Eye Investigations, titled Death in Dubai: #Dubaiportapotty, has revealed the real stories behind the viral rumours are often much more horrifying.
The documentary sees filmmaker Runako Celina travel to Uganda and Dubai in order to piece together the story of two women, named Monic Karungi and Kayla Birungi, who travelled to the Emirati city and later fell to their deaths from high rise buildings. Both of the women's deaths were officially ruled as a suicide.
She was able to uncover evidence that women are being lured from Uganda to Dubai under the pretence of securing work – only to be forced into prostitution upon arrival.
One particularly alarming testimony came from a woman referred to as 'Lexi', who revealed that she'd been trafficked to the country by such networks.
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"Something that constantly popped up was being asked to be peed in the face… and if I can eat s**t," Lexi, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity.
She went on to recall one client in particular, who offered to purchase ice cream cones and defecate in them before filming her eating it.
"We’re paying you 15,000 AED (£3,000) to gang r**e you, pee in your face, beat you and add in 5,000 AED (£1,000) if you will eat our s**t while we are recording you," she added.
"Every time I said that I wouldn't want to do that, it seemed to get them more interested. They want somebody who is going to cry and scream and run. And that somebody [in their eyes] should be a black person."
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Lexi went on to say that she would often be subjected to racist slurs by clients. When she attempted to contact the police for help, she was told 'You Africans cause problems' and that they would not be getting involved to help her.
Despite Karungi's name and face being used by people talking about 'porta potty' parties, it's never confirmed if she ever took part in such events while in the UAE. However, it did appear she was very likely one of many young women tricked into exploited upon arriving in Dubai.
Both Monic and Kayla were found to have been linked to the same men in Uganda and Dubai, as well as a woman referred to as 'Keira' who said young women are 'promised the world' ahead of moving to Dubai. When the women arrive, they are kept in poor living conditions and forced to perform sex work. She claimed one of the men involved was named 'Abbey'.
The BBC were able to track down a man named Charles 'Abbey' Mwesigwa by sending in an undercover operative posing as a party promoter looking to hire escorts for an event.
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When asked about the women who work for him, 'Abbey' says they are 'open minded' with a laugh and even suggests they would be willing to perform degrading acts such as 'Dubai porta potty' acts.
He is later confronted by Celina over the allegations – where he confirmed interacting both women but rejected all the other claims, branding them 'false allegations'.
He told the programme: "[Monic] died with her passport meaning no one was demanding her money or taking her. Prior to her death I hadn’t seen her for over 4 to 5 weeks
“I knew both girls and that were renting with different landlords. If no one in both flats was arrested or any of the landlords, then there was a reason. Both incidents were investigated by the Dubai police and maybe they can help you.”
Meanwhile police in Dubai did not respond to comment requests from the broadcaster.
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Death in Dubai: #Dubaiportapotty is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and on the BBC News Africa YouTube channel. The podcast World of Secrets: Death in Dubai is available wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.