Kyrgyz Woman Arrested Following Sex-Slavery Allegation

Police in southern Kyrgyzstan have arrested a woman accused of selling an acquaintance into sexual slavery.

Osh city police department officials told RFE/RL on November 25 that the 41-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking after a 33-year-old acquaintance told police that the older woman had sold her into sexual slavery in Turkey.

The alleged victim said the suspect had promised her a house-cleaning job and sold her for $5,000 to a Turkish citizen who forced her to work as a prostitute for three months.

Police released only the first names of the suspect, Ainura, and the alleged victim, Gulnara.

They said Gulnara told them a client helped her escape and return to Kyrgyzstan.

Local human rights activists say that 58 women from Osh have been rescued from sexual slavery since January 2014.