Freedom of 75 'Sex Slaves' in Lebanon

Lebanese officials have released new details about the 'most dangerous human trafficking network,' a news that has shaken public opinion in Lebanon, especially after the announcement of the freedom of 75 girls from sexual slavery. These girls were subjected to sexual assault, forced abortions, psychological and physical torture, and forced prostitution. In a statement released by the Lebanese Internal Security Forces, it was mentioned that the abortions were performed by a Lebanese doctor and nurse. The statement reads: 'Following the announcement of the arrest of a group of individuals forming the most dangerous human trafficking network in Lebanon and the freedom of 75 girls, most of whom are Syrian, security forces managed to identify the medical personnel who performed the abortions on the girls. His name is R.A., born in 1961 in Lebanon, and the nurse who assisted him is J.1, also born in 1961 in Lebanon; they confessed to performing about 200 abortions.' How was the network discovered? Sources from the Lebanese Internal Security Forces told the newspaper 'Al-Akhbar' that the network was discovered after two girls successfully escaped. These girls took advantage of the reduced number of guards and the presence of only one female guard at the entrance to their holding place, beat the guard, and encountered someone who helped them contact the local security station in Mount Lebanon. According to this report, the security operation was conducted in two phases, with the mentioned station raiding several cabarets and apartments used by the network to hold the girls on two dates, March 27 and 29, arresting 10 men and 8 women who worked as 'guards' at these locations. According to informed sources, the network is led by a Lebanese individual named 'Ali Hassan Zaiter,' while the executive director of the network is a Syrian named 'Imad Al-Rihani.' The network utilized several cabarets, hotels, and apartments, including two cabarets 'She Morris' and 'Silver' in Jounieh, managed by Maurice Jaaja, who has been in custody for three months on charges of 'facilitating prostitution.' According to the victimized girls, Al-Rihani is known as 'the executioner' because he was responsible for torturing girls who violated the network's rules. The executioner would torture the victims and film these acts to show the footage to scare other girls. The network's manager would also send fake clients among the girls to identify those planning to escape or contact their families abroad. The confessions revealed that the manager also sent girls among the victims to gather detailed information about their operations or plans. The girls were forced to work 20 hours a day. They had to be fully made up at their workplace from 10 AM to 6 AM the next day. If the job owners were dissatisfied with the girls' appearance and makeup, they would punish them through beatings or whipping. The number of clients each girl was forced to sleep with daily was 10, and this number would rise to 20 on weekends. According to the newspaper 'Al-Arabi Al-Jadid,' network owners charged clients 50,000 Lebanese Lira (33 dollars) for every 15 minutes of a girl's work and 100,000 Lira (about 66 dollars) for each hour. If a client only utilized 15 minutes and did not request an extension, the girl would be punished as this indicated a lack of attention to the client. If a client complained about the 'services provided' by one of the victims, that girl would be whipped. A security source stated that some girls developed skin irritations due to the whippings. The female guards would usually confiscate tips given by clients to the girls, and if the tip was less than 10 dollars, the girl would be whipped. Occasionally, network managers sent girls as informants among the victims. Their main task was to relay the private conversations of the victims to the network managers, especially if these conversations contained details about escape plans or disobedience to orders. How does the network ensnare its victims? At least 18 core members work within the network. Joseph Muslim, the public relations manager of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces, told 'Al-Arabi Al-Jadid' that this number indicates that the network engages in 'human trafficking' and is not solely active in 'prostitution.' According to this newspaper, two Syrian men were responsible for transporting the girls from Syria; these men would drive a luxury SUV to Syria and tell the girls that they owned large restaurants in Lebanon and wanted them to work in these restaurants. Upon arriving in Lebanon, these girls faced a different reality, and the network managers confiscated their mobile phones, passports, and identification cards. Another occurrence is that network owners would 'sell' or 'rent' girls who did not comply with work conditions to other networks. The price for each girl was about 2,000 dollars. After about four months of psychological pressure or physical torture on a girl, the network managers would determine that she was no longer useful and needed to be sold. The freed girls were placed under the care of special centers by judicial order. Some of the girls were underage when they were captured. Security forces also found an 8-month-old infant who is the daughter of one of the victims. Security sources state: 'The network managers agreed to not perform abortions as the fetus had grown, realizing it was a girl, and they could use her in the future as well.' These girls have been placed in the care of several charitable organizations.