Women 'enslaved' by Arab royals
Seventeen women have been taken by police from a luxury hotel in Brussels amid allegations that they had been enslaved by an Arab royal family.
Police officers and officials from Belgium's Labour Audit Authority raided the Conrad Hotel, the city's most prestigious and the preferred choice of many national leaders during European Union summits, on Tuesday evening.
The operation was triggered by the apparent escape of a maid who was among 20 servants working for the widow of a senior royal figure from the United Arab Emirates and her four daughters who have rented the entire fourth floor of the hotel for the last year.
Officials took away 17 people, from countries including the Philippines, Morocco, India, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Syria, amid allegations they had been held captive for eight months.
Several members of the royal party have been questioned, police said yesterday. No charges have been brought but the investigation continues.
"We are convinced that these 17 girls are victims of people trafficking," said an official.
The servants, dubbed "slaves" in the Belgian media, allegedly had to be at the service of the Arab royals 24 hours a day and had their passport taken away on arrival in Belgium. The women were reportedly not allowed to leave the hotel and their monthly salaries were as low as £80 a month.
"We were not allowed to leave the hotel and we had to be at their disposal 24 hours a day," claimed one young woman of Middle Eastern origin.
"We were not allowed to complain or to ask any questions. We just had to be there at their beck and call."
Last week four maids from the Philippines allegedly attempted to escape from the hotel. Three were detained by the royal family's security staff but the fourth woman managed to alert the Belgian police.
There was no response last night from the Brussels embassy of the UAE when it was contacted to comment on the case.
Most Belgian newspapers have described the case as "slavery right in the heart of Brussels".
The chic and pricy Conrad Hotel, "where you can discover the luxury of being yourself", is situated on the city's Avenue Louise and surrounded by the most expensive shops in Brussels.
The price of a room begins at £260 and a hotel spokesman, who refused to comment on the raid, was unable to give the cost of renting an entire floor.
The hotel's website boasts: "The largest, most sophisticated luxury hotel guestrooms in Brussels, an unrivalled guest service commitment and the unparalleled cuisine of our hotel restaurant all come together at the Conrad Brussels."
The hotel is frequented by Europe's royals and national leaders, including British Prime Ministers, during trips to Brussels and for EU summits.
In a separate case in Gevena involving a senior figure from the UAE, Sheikh Fallah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, the brother of the president has been found guilty and fined after using his belt to beat an American man who he thought had suggested he was gay.
and you must be Bad-in-bed
You must be a Bedouin maid....
As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.
kareena74..i have read every book and the information there is shockingly true
man i must have read them book over n over again n I'll never get bored of their escapades...lol
I wonder whats new... hmmm...
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You know, that you are screwed, when ur phone rings, while you sneak into your own house like a thief and your wife is asleep at 3 am in the morning... Perhaps that would be the last time you enter your own house lol.
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well i can say with no favor on both..
the royals just any other arabs or humans their is shortcomings but this shorcomings should really end now and should start from them!
.those people in the west this the thing theyre waiting for a chance to see a rift..
.for those maids im hundred percent sure its not how they are treated that makes them escape but they see opportunies they are hypnotized,tempted and dazzled of what they saw and just bec. they are caught with their ill intention .. there they blow..
.
.they found refuge!
.
"Born optimist nothing can keep me too low for so long"
Hey everyone! I would suggest you all to read the trilogy by Jean Sasson about the Royal family and their so called royal life.."Princess" & "Princess Sultana's daughters" and "Princess Sultana's circle".. I won't say a word more.. Just get those books and read them.
Welcome Back....
"..Take a number and called it even.."
BWAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAA
Indian-born Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted together with her husband, Mahender Sabhnani. She was convivted for forced servitude, peonage, harboring aliens and conspiracy.
A
I believe you haven't discovered the true meaning of "freedom of speech," the bad thing 50 percent of your words are full of problems and mental diseases.
Take a number and called it even, because there is no vaccines for your state of mind....
As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.
Briteexpat
The case of the New York rich lady that held her maid captive and did abuse her, she is from the middle east region.
I believe bad habits are not easy to fade away. At least her maid got some justice in her favor. The rich lady is in jail without bond.
As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.
i think u have to go back to shool(primary school will be better),these house mate always run away from their sponsers and the dellegating things never happened just to live in EUROPE.
and i do not think you have a prettyeyes.i would stop going to Hammed Hospital coz of u
bye nitwit
haply freak..it's your 1st post and you picked on me..wow interesting..what else have you got for me weirdo!!
anyways buzz off, I'm definitely not in the mood for pr**ks like you 2day out of all the day and good don't come 2 Hamad hospital..cause you'll be wasting our time and the government's time too
Since you wish to discuss MY opinion, then:
I prefer to concentrate on, and go against much more serious problems/diseases that comes to us from the west/States.
So you are going against your brethren and sticking up for those who enslave your fellow Muslims? Now I know you aren't playing with a full deck.
This type of case occurs in the CIVILZED countries also..Eg.. Only recently ..A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
There have been numerous cases of nannies, maids etc in private residences in the United States being forced into virtual bondage - some are beaten, barred from leaving and denied basic medical care.
POP this is just another attack by you with an irrelevant matter, when was royals religious?
and what makes matters worse is , what happened to your religion??? answer me...what happened to your religion ? that taught goodness, Onenes of God and interest free society and women's dress?? tell me what happened to Christianity?? I am sure it was a silly of you to bring a such a broad question that in the end reflects on your own religion.
No one can gaurantee humans practising perfectly on what was ordered and Royal and Rich people are extraordinary example when you say what happened to religion??
MAN you need to think twice before posting such question.
Poverty is not for the sake of hardship. No, it is there because nothing exists but God. Poverty unlocks the door -- what a blessed key!
- Jalaluddin al-Rumi
just log onto qatarsucks to read about enslaved women.
There is even more than that, people even generalize a whole religion. Here:
RED_POPE said What happen to religion?
tend to agree with you on that subject, people also generalise "western expats" ;)
Amnesia said:
I hate how they just say 'Arabs'. It's such a general term. It could mean ANY country.
Could we say, " Royal Beduins of Dubai" instead of Arabs?
I know for fact, that by using the word "Arab" is completely generalizing one specific race.
"If we are going to solve the challenges we face - we can't vacillate - we can't shift depending on our politics"
Barack Obama
"And they want to keep marrying cousins and wonder why they are not right in the head"
The most thing that damages the "head" is when you believe that God has a son...hahahaaaaaa
Whatever happened to these religious folks. Is this one of those if god wills it? Man, this is something else. I wonder if its also true about boys being involved in one of their indulgences--terrible.
isn't a factor here and don't see how anyone can think otherwise, it's a simple case of the rich, indulging themselves, regardless of the harm to those less fortunate.
Just because this particular case was brought to light, the bravery shown by those that attempted to escape and finally the outcome, doesn't mean that it will stop, just make those still using people like slaves, be more careful.
And they want to keep marrying cousins and wonder why they are not right in the head. Long live the people ;)
It does mention the country.
"There was no response last night from the Brussels embassy of the UAE when it was contacted to comment on the case."
"Deaths in the Bible. God - 2,270,365
not including the victims of Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the
many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc because no specific numbers
were given. Satan - 10."
I thought "Arab" described someone who lived in the region, not someone who necessarily practices any religion. So this issue of treating people as slaves should not be considered a religious problem at all, but one that is a regional problem and perhaps only with the thinking of those who come with entitlement. In this case, royal family members from the region where Arabs reside. I, too, found it very annoying that they did not name the country specifically and then in the last paragraph mention an incident from the UAE. That's unfair to the UAE if this incident happened somewhere else.
I hate how they just say 'Arabs'. It's such a general term. It could mean ANY country.
__________________________
Mr. Q's Blog - A Qatari's on Qatar.
I read on QL some very interesting articles by princess_habiba but there was a hateful QLer (PM) who always attacked the articles of princess_habiba by calling her a lier because she was not posting the source of the articles....I wonder if PM was here now, would she attack you?
"What happen to religion?"
which religion? the one that claims that God has a son? hahaha
wouldn't shock me to the extent some of these so-called-royals would reach
am glad these gurls got freed..it fails me 2 understand what double measures they're leading..
calling themselves Muslims n holding someone against their will..
shame on them for calling themselves muslim..
Wow, What a news worthy story? are you kidding me? Arabs owning slaves in this day and time is shocking? Why? Everyone in the CIVILIZED world knows that Arabs still live in the Dark Ages. Whats even more hilarious is the Muslim communities supposed "outrage" over this type of behavior, this type of uncivilized barbaric behavior of these peoplesis what we civilized humans expect, just because they're third world royalty doesn't mean they're any less sub human mutant dreck.
Well at least with this case the wider world will now open their eyes to what goes on, on a daily basis all over the Middle East. Slavery of Maids, Drivers, Househols staff and servants.
It just rings true just how far people like this need to learn respect everyone - regardless of race and religion. The people who work for them are seen as slaves, as animals there to serve a purpose, they are not treated like human beings more like a sub-human difference race.
Human trafficiking is a major issue all over the Arab world - no wonder these countries come out poorly on list and polls by different organisations. And then they wonder why?
Forgiveness is life...:)
The article reffered to the captors as Arab. Not every Arab (or any nationality for that matter) practices Islam correctly. The same way when Bill Clinton did his thing no one asked where his religion was even though he is a known Christian.
"I don't think so. Homey don't play dat."
Homey Da Clown
RP i too have always wondered abt that,
life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......
What happen to religion?
"If we are going to solve the challenges we face - we can't vacillate - we can't shift depending on our politics"
Barack Obama