Inside Dubai’s booming sex trade as escorts charge £3k an hour in new ‘Sin City’

Despite having strict laws banning prostitution, a report has outlined how the UAE city Dubai continues to have a flourishing sex trade, with escorts charging thousands of pounds

Dubai’s seedy sex trade that employs women from around the world including Europe is flourishing despite the ongoing regional conflict involving , according to an eye-opening report.

An investigation into the booming escort trade by the Sun found the the UAE city was a ‘hub’ for escorts and sex workers, despite prostitution being illegal in the majority Muslim country.

According to the report, escort hiring sites still have 10,366 of posts advertising sex workers based in Dubai, with the UAE having the second highest figure of any country in the world, despite the city recently being the target of military attacks from Iran following the US and Israeli bombing campaign in the Middle Eastern country.

The report claims to have accessed several seedy escort chatrooms, on which users were asking whether or not sex workers were still available for hire following the conflict’s outbreak.

One user reportedly posted on a message board before a trip to the Gulf city: “Given the current situation, is there ANY action going on?” He received a reply that the industry was “still going on”.

Sex workers from countries as varied as Iran, Ethiopia and Belarus are reportedly available to hire as escorts in the city, often charging hundreds of pounds an hour.

One Belarussian escort, who the investigation names as simply ‘Janna’, apparently charges as much as £3,000 for 48 hours with the 27-year-old, with a list of extreme options available for an extra £280 on top.

Other sites have been found to list thousands of escorts offering likes of massages, French kissing and even a roleplaying service known as a the “girlfriend experience”, during which sex workers pretend to be in a romantic relationship with the customer, all for just over £300 an hour.

Despite UAE’s strict anti-prostitution rules, many escorts are seemingly not about advertising their services, with one Bolivian sex worker being found to have engaged in a back-and-forth conversation about her services online.

The 25-year-old, who is quoted as charging between £265 and £400 for appointments, was reportedly complimented by one of her clients on a forum. The punter wrote online: ““She is very friendly and loves to talk and does not rush into things.”

The unnamed escort replied: “Aww…thank you. Let’s meet soon for our role play.”

Despite the report’s claims, prostitution is entirely illegal across the UAE. While the country relaxed laws around unmarried couples living together in 2020, selling sex, soliciting, pimping and running brothels can still lead to jail, fines and deportation. Human trafficking offences carry even harsher punishments, including life sentences in serious cases.

Dubai Police have regularly carried out raids on suspected prostitution rings, massage parlours and escort networks, with foreign women often arrested and deported. Authorities have also cracked down on online escort advertising and the calling cards once scattered across streets and parked cars.

In recent years the UAE introduced tougher laws targeting “debauchery” and sexual exploitation, while specialist anti-trafficking units and hotlines have been set up to tackle organised gangs linked to the sex trade.

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