Inside the seedy underbelly of Dubai you never knew existed
It is fast becoming one of Australia’s favourite holiday destinations, but there is a very dark side to Dubai that you need to know about. Warning: Distressing
Warning: Distressing
It’s sold as a paradise of glass and gold, but Dubai’s dirty secret is bleeding through the facade.
In a story that shocked the world, a 20-year-old Ukrainian model was found broken, bloodied and clinging to life on a Dubai roadside last month.
Her spine was snapped and she was left unable to speak.
Maria Kovalchuk had vanished after accepting an invite to an exclusive event. The men who approached her had claimed to be in the “modelling business”.
When she was discovered, she had no phone, passport or identification. Thanks to four emergency surgeries, she survived. Barely.
Maria’s lawyer claims she had been partying with local Sheiks. But police claimed her injuries came from a fall. No charges have been laid.
What Maria endured has shone a spotlight on a seedy underbelly long whispered about but rarely spoken of openly: the shadowy realm of Dubai’s “VIP parties”.
Foreign women, including Australians, are being contacted via social media, flown in and
paid lavishly to be “a guest at a VIP party”.
Once inside the luxury hotel or yacht, they fall prey to the darkest desires of super-wealthy men.
The degree of depravity varies.
Some of these events are known as “Porta Potty” parties – a phrase used to describe gatherings with female influencers who are paid exorbitant amounts of money to carry out horrific and degrading sexual acts, often involving bodily fluids.
Women are left with permanent physical and psychological injuries and they risk becoming entangled in a broken system.
It’s a glaring contrast to the sanitised glamour the Emirati Government pitches to the world.
Despite carefully curating its image to showcase its progressiveness, the ultraconservative Muslim culture beneath is now being exposed.
But is it enough to scare away the waves of aspiring influencers?
People close to Dubai’s VIP party scene have warned that young Aussie women are still being lured by the promise of a better life, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle
of abuse.
With more Aussies are travelling to Dubai than ever before, it’s a real concern.
Gold Coast adult content creator and influencer Kay Manuel says she visited Dubai recently to meet with other professionals in the creator industry.
During the trip, she discovered the chasm between the dream of Dubai and what can sometimes become the reality.
“The promoters play it down,” she told news.com.au.
“Saying, you’ll just party, have a great time. Then get showered with gifts.
“In reality, you’ll be expected to do unthinkable things.”
She revealed that one Australian woman she knows was recently hospitalised with traumatic injuries after accepting an invite from Dubai jewellery tycoons.
“She had to get reconstructive surgery,” she said.
“She came back very emotionally scarred.
“It’s not something that you can come back from and go ‘oh well’. It’s burned on your brain forever.”
Manuel says women will by often be enticed by small deposits or proof of future payments.
The messages vary from offers of “image modelling” (otherwise known as “paid partying”) to FS (meaning “full service” or sex work.)
News.com.au has sighted text messages sent to Australian women with promises of them working for Dubai “celebrities and Arab royal families”.
“They prefer to target Instagram models,” says Manuel. “They’re less experienced than escorts.”
Aspiring influencers with debts or minimal brand endorsements are vulnerable to such temptations.
This group is key to Dubai’s broader and complex relationship with social media.
The Emirati Government has invested deeply to be crowned the world’s influencer capital. It pays many of these creators for their promotion, and grants them remote working visas easily to modernise its image.
But below this glittering surface lies the grubby core.
Lured by the false promise of partying work, women who accept VIP invites find themselves ensnared in the horror of sexual exploitation.
“The men are trying to achieve financial domination,” says Manuel. “It’s a financial chokehold.”
And the risk doesn’t end at the event. Accepting such initiations is a legal landmine.
Despite the fact the sex industry thrives in the shadows, prostitution in Dubai is illegal.
If convicted, sex workers face six months in jail.
Because the VIP transactions happen online, they come under a grey zone that is poorly policed. But the risk is real.
More and more sex workers in Dubai are being arrested.
In fact, any sex outside of marriage is illegal in the emirate, an enforcement of sharia law. Violators face strict punishment, including jail time and deportation.
Lastly, any workers caught without a valid visa also face an illegal labour fine.
“The UAE doesn’t play around,” says Manuel.
Lucy Banks, who manages Manuel under her company Million Billion Media, says she prioritises the safety of her creators over profits.
As part of her role, she gets an intimate glimpse of how the dream is sold.
“It’s easy to appeal with the promise of luxury travel and quick cash. But the reality is usually exploitation.”
She understands why young influencers may be tempted by such invitations. But she urges them to remember that social media can be a catalogue for predators.
“They look for young, popular girls,” she said.
“Especially the ones that aren’t savvy yet, who are still new.”
She urged women to resist the temptation.
“There’s power in saying no.”
Leading UAE human rights lawyer and advocate Radha Stirling said Maria’s story is far from unique.
“Most stories never go public. There’s a concerted effort to conceal the abuse and paint Dubai as a perfectly safe city,” she said.
Stirling, who is London-based but grew up in Melbourne, advises the Australian Government on policy issues relating to the UAE and recently addressed these matters to the United Nations.
She believes we have a long way to go with exposing the dangers of Dubai.
“Women who go need to be aware of their vulnerability. Abuse is prevalent,” she warned.
“Women are unprotected and making a police report or complaint can lead to their own incarceration.”
Stirling points to the case of Alicia Gali, a Gold Coast woman who had been the victim of rape in 2008.
She should have been protected by Dubai police. Instead, she was charged for adultery, languishing in jail for eight months.
Years after the ordeal, Gali told the Sunday Mail her “life will never be the same.”
Stirling said cautionary stories are eclipsed by influencers wearing golden blindfolds.
“Dubai pumps a large fortune into marketing,” says Stirling. “People continue to be lured by the influencer videos.”
“But after the reporting on Maria, we hope women will be more enlightened about the risks.”
Nelson Groom is a freelance writer. His novel The Auction is coming soon. Learn more on his Instagram.
Got a travel tale to share? Get in touch: nelsonsamuelgroom@gmail.com
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