How Dubai 'porta potty girls' are recruited as sister of trafficked woman explains reality
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and racial discrimination which some readers may find distressing.
The sister of a woman who was trafficked to Dubai as a 'porta potty girl' before dying has explained the reality of how they are recruited.
'Dubai porta potty' has become an infamous term on the internet in recent years, and it refers to young women who are transported to the luxury city, where they will often be coerced into taking part in degrading sex acts in exchange for money.
Ukrainian model Maria Kovalchuk recently spoke out about her experience after she was left with life-changing injuries, but she is one of just a handful of influencers who have been able to safely share exactly what goes on at the 'porta potty parties', as in the case of two Ugandan women, they both died while still living in the UAE.
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A new BBC documentary titled Death in Dubai: #Dubaiportapotty has aimed to uncover more information about the tragic deaths of Monic Karungi and Kayla Birungi, both of whom fell to their death from high rise buildings. Both deaths were ruled as suicide.
During the documentary, Rita, the sister of Monic, spoke to filmmaker Runako Celina in Uganda, sharing what she knew about the man who convinced her sister to travel to Dubai before her death.
She said: "She told me that she got a friend who paid for everything. I think she met him in a club. I don't know his name. I also believed that maybe he was her boyfriend. That's why he paid for her, to take her to work. I spoke with him on the phone but I never saw his face. He told me that, first of all, she is a beautiful girl. She knows English, she will be able to work. He told me that she will be fine. He was also so well mannered. I think she trusted him because he was a Munyankole.
"i think he was hiding from me, so I wouldn't see his face. I think he just used her to sell her."
A woman referred to as Lexi was also able to anonymously share what happened to her when she travelled to Dubai.
She said: "Something that constantly popped up was being asked to be peed in the face… and if I can eat s**t."
Recalling one particular 'client' who offered her £1000 to eat human excrement from an ice cream cone, she added: "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.
"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."
The BBC were able to identify one of the Ugandan men who trafficked Monic to Dubai, while they also went undercover and spoke with Charles 'Abbey' Mwesigwa, who suggested that the women were often willing to perform the degrading acts.
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.
Topics: True Crime
James Moorhouse