Wish her luck: the dangerous journey of TikTokers to Dubai

Wish her luck: the dangerous journey of TikTokers to Dubai

What happens when a young woman announces she is moving to Dubai to work in prostitution? The question is circulating on social media after a post in which a woman, known for her TikTok activity, explained that she would be taking clients in the emirate. Far from sparking concern, the message drew comments that border on cruelty.

The mirage of luxury and the real risk
The phenomenon is nothing new. Every year, dozens of young Spanish women travel to Dubai, drawn by the money promised by high-end prostitution. What they do not always factor in is that, once they leave Spain, they lose all legal protection. Viogen, the Spanish system designed to protect victims of gender-based violence, has no jurisdiction there. As one analysis puts it, "Viogen cannot protect her." Impunity is almost total.

From TikTok to oblivion
The young woman in question "was always posting on TikTok," according to the reactions, but her social media activity has gone silent. The suspicion that she could vanish without a trace hangs over the thread: "They won't find her in the desert," one comment predicts. It is not an empty hyperbole: the disappearance of women in Dubai is a documented fact, and the lack of Spanish diplomatic pressure leaves families stuck in a judicial limbo.

The sens trade in the tax haven
Dubai is a recurring destination for sens work because of its veiled tolerance and absence of taxes. But the reality is that sens workers operate in a legal vacuum. Any conflict with a powerful client can end in jail or deportation, with no possibility of filing a complaint. The mirage of easy money becomes a trap.

The headline of the thread that prompts this reflection is a fitting epitaph: "Wish her luck." Because, as the underlying irony goes, for some women luck is all they have left.