43 women held in Oman’s clampdown on prostitution

At least 43 women have been arrested for prostitution in Bausher province of Muscat governorate this month, according to the Royal Oman Police.

“Several locations in Al Khuwair district were raided by the ROP and led to the arrest of 43 women,” said the statement.

In November, as part of a clampdown on prostitution, Oman tightened restrictions on granting tourist visas for women from Southeast Asia from this month.

The decision came after police noticed an increase in prostitution activities by women from specific countries entering Oman on tourist visas.

Immigration now requires a round-trip ticket and a booking reservation at a four-star hotel

The number of days granted has been decreased from 30 to only 10 days.

The woman will also have to be away from the country for at least a month before reapplying for another visa.

Hundreds of Southeast Asian women have been arrested for prostitution in the past few months.

Photos and videos of these women on streets and in Shisha cafés in the capital Muscat have gone viral on social media, with many users calling on Omani authorities to take action.

In September, 21 Thai women who were forced into prostitution were rescued following a raid on a flat in Al Khuwair district of Muscat by Oman and Thai police.

Three Thai nationals who were running the brothel were also arrested.

Thai officials flew into Muscat to free the women in coordination with the Omani police.

The women were reportedly lured by a Facebook group called “Pattaya find job+job application”, promising them masseuse jobs in spas in Muscat, according to Thai media.

The suspects convinced the victims that they would receive 100,000 baht (Dh10,615) per month and offered them free air tickets to Muscat.

The raid came after Thai authorities were tipped off last month by three Thai women who escaped from the sex trade ring in Muscat and returned to Thailand with help from the Thai embassy.

After arriving in Oman, the passports of all victims were seized and their communication cut off.

The women, in their 20s and 30s, were forced into prostitution and made to work long hours in a flat

source : gulfnews