Claims foreign sex workers are being drugged, beaten
The Cape Times reported this week that 26 South African women were apparently “in serious trouble on the Emerald Isle”.
It was contacted by the woman known as Gia, who recruited the sex workers last month. She said she had been phoned from Ireland by one of the women.
“She told me she and all the other girls had been given crack cocaine and heroin, had been beaten and had not been paid.
“Their passports had been taken away and their return tickets had expired,” Gia said.
The women had responded to an advertisement in South African newspapers placed on behalf of the fictitious Billionaire Boys Club.
It read: “An elite venue for the discerning gent, based in Ireland, will provide guaranteed return air fares, traveller’s cheques and accommodation.”
They were promised 40,000 African rand (around €4,500) for three weeks work.
The average annual wage for South Africans is 8,150.
Gia named a man who she said was the owner of the Irish escort agency which had taken the women.
However, this man yesterday dismissed her claims as “a complete and absolute joke” and said he was being set up by a South African con artist.
“Some friends of mine came with me to Ireland but they are gone back and they are very happy. It’s a man who’s behind this and he’s using a woman as a front.
“I am going to be taking legal action when I go back to South Africa.”
Garda sources yesterday said they were not aware of the claims and had not heard of the man who allegedly runs the escort agency here.
However, officers working in specialist gardaí units, covering the vice and immigrant areas, said the escort scene was quite underground and that the women might be too afraid to come forward.
The South African embassy in Dublin said it was unaware of the case.
“If there is exploitation of people going on, we would be concerned but we have heard nothing official about it,” said spokeswoman Elizabeth Mulville.
