Dubai’s hidden sex trade

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 October 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kate Adie introduces stories from Dubai, The Dominican Republic, Denmark, Spain and Australia.

Dubai is often described as one of the safest cities in the world - but safe for who? In the shadows of shining skyscrapers and shopping malls is an exploitative sex trade. Runako Celina has been investigating the suspicious deaths of two women who travelled to Dubai with big dreams.

The Dominican Republic is a popular tourist destination - though not all new arrivals are welcome. The government is currently undertaking a sweeping campaign to deport illegal immigrants - in particular, those who have arrived from neighbouring Haiti. John Murphy met Haitians hiding out in the hills, to evade authorities.

Denmark is among several European countries to have reported mysterious drone incursions in recent weeks. This comes at a time when the country is already on edge over its national security, having recently decided to extend its mandatory military service to include young women. Anna Holligan met some of the new recruits.

In the Basque country, harvest festival season is underway - including some of the most enduring Pagan celebrations in Europe. These champion the land, the people deeply rooted to it, and a rich sense of local pride. Simon Busch has been joining in the festivities.

And finally, while rare, Australia sees the highest rate of shark attacks in the world, but it doesn’t stop millions of people enjoying the beaches and the ocean. So, what can Australians’ love of the outdoors, no matter the dangers, teach the rest of us? Katy Watson reports from her local life-saving club in Sydney.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge Editors: Richard Fenton-Smith

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello. Today we're in Denmark, where amid a spate of suspicious drone incursions,
0:12.1	young women face being called up for compulsory national service.
0:16.7	The Dominican Republic is taking a hard line on illegal immigration.
0:21.5	We meet the Haitians hiding in the hills to avoid deportation.
0:25.9	In Spain, we visit a hamlet in the Basque country, and a pagan festival once banned under General Franco.
0:32.6	And finally, Australia's little nipper clubs teach children water safety from an early age,
0:40.3	but perennial dangers still lurk in the deep.
0:43.7	But first to Dubai, which has transformed into a glittering megacity in recent decades.
0:49.3	Its vast skyscrapers, cavernous designer shopping miles and tax-free living have drawn people
0:56.6	from all over the world. But beneath the superficial glamour lies a dark underbelly and an
1:03.0	international sex trade where women are often exploited and abused. Renako Selina has been
1:09.5	investigating the experiences of women from Uganda, who first
1:13.8	travelled to Dubai with big dreams. It's 3 a.m. and we've just landed in Dubai. We're exhausted,
1:21.6	but then my colleague realizes he's lost his passport. We're panicking, darting around the lobby of our four-star
1:29.1	hotel searching for it, looking in bags, jacket pockets, even rummaging through his previously
1:35.2	padlocked suitcase in sheer desperation. The staff all around us, people who live in Dubai, are
1:41.9	surprisingly calm. Don't worry, one of them tells me.
1:46.1	This is Dubai, the safest city on earth.
1:49.9	It'll turn up, and, like clockwork, it does.
1:53.5	The next day, the passport is back with its owner.
1:56.8	That phrase, the safest city on earth, stays with me.
2:04.6	Because what brings me to Dubai is something very different.
	...

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