DUBAI: Two Pakistani men were in court on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates, charged with raping a Filipina waitress in July of this year, court sources told Bikyamasr.com. The two security guards allegedly repeatedly raped the 30-year-old waitress earlier this year in a case that has captured much attention in the Emirates. Women's activists in the country have called for the two security guards to face life in jail for the crime. According to a source close to the court, police had arrested the two men the night of July 9 after they had kidnapped and raped the woman. The Khaleej Times, in a report, said that both men had admitted to raping the waitress. The victim, who has not been named publicly, allegedly told investigators that the men claimed to work for a fashion company and wanted to take photos of her for possible work. The men told the woman she would have her pictures published in a magazine. Although the waitress said she refused the offer, the men insisted on taking her to their “office” for preliminary photos, but that office was instead a residential flat. After threatening her with sharp objects, one of the men raped her and then called the other, who was allegedly hiding in the bathroom, numerous reports suggest. Police said the victim's roommate reported the rape to the police after seeing her friend obviously shaken when she arrived back home. The UAE has a long history of poor women's rights record, and a number of cases have received weak sentences over rape claims, said Mona, a 25-year-old university student and researcher. “We women in this country struggle to have our voices heard and when we are the victim of crimes, too often the government does too little,” she said, adding that because the perpetrators are “foreigners, they will likely receive the full penalty of the law, but if they were Emiratis, it would be different.” BM
