Two “businessmen” have been arrested in Ukraine for allegedly procuring young women to work as prostitutes in Israel and Turkey, according to the Cairo-based Al Gumhouriyyah newspaper, quoting agencies.
A report by Russian Information Agency Novosty cited officials as saying that the two suspects sold Ukrainian women to work in prostitution in the two countries.
According to a report by the Jerusalem Post last year, women in Israel who are being forced to work as prostitutes against their will are considered criminals rather than victims.
A young man was charged last year with helping his father smuggle four women into the country from the Ukraine, and then forcing them to work as prostitutes.
The women, aged 19 to 22, were arrested when the ring was uncovered, said the paper, adding that their crime was entering the country illegally and holding false IDs.
“That they were victimized while they were here does not mitigate the fact that they violated Israeli law by entering the country illegally,” Central District Police Spokeswoman Ch. Supt. Sivan Kedmi said.
Two of the women were "sold" to a brothel in Tel Aviv for $3,000 each. The other two were imprisoned in a Rishon Lezion apartment and forced to work as prostitutes – Albawaba.com
