Death in Dubai: #DubaiPortaPotty - BBC Africa Eye Documentary

BTT Admin / 09/16/25

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When a young Ugandan woman's death from a high-rise in Dubai goes viral, she becomes the face of the disturbing online trend, #DubaiPortaPotty...but nothing is as it seems. #BBCAfricaEye investigates.

🚨 UPDATE 15/09/25: Please note an earlier sound issue on this documentary has now been fixed.

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This BBC Eye investigation reveals that behind the online rumours lies an even darker reality, and hears from Ugandan women who say they were lured to the UAE - often under false promises of work - only to find themselves forced into prostitution, indebted to a man known to some in Dubai as “The Untouchable.”

00:00 A viral online rumour

02:50 Mona Kizz

04:29 "She trusted him because he was from the same tribe"

11:08 'It does scream...dodgy'

14:40 "They make it look like every Ugandan should be in Dubai"

16:40 Kayla Birungi

19:10 Who is Charles Mwesigwa AKA 'Abbey'?

26:06 'He has eyes everywhere in Dubai'

27:40 Walking through Deira as an African girl

29:32 Tracing Mona's last steps in Jumeirah

32:04 Abbey's network: "These girls have no escape route"

36:56 'No-one has ever finished paying Abbey's money'

40:40 The clients who 'do weird stuff'

44:00 Mona's last days: "She thought she was gonna get free"

46:29 'Dubai is mine...there is nowhere you can report me'

49:50 Undercover to access "a market for black girls"

54:15 Where was Monic laid to rest?

54:15 "The Unknown" part of the cemetery

56:44 Abbey continues business in the UK

59:19 The confrontation

1:01:28 A different legacy?

📧 If you have any information to add to this investigation, you can contact runako@bbc.co.uk

🎧 Listen to the new 6-part investigation ‘World of Secrets: Death in Dubai’ here, or wherever you get your BBC podcasts: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w1...

If you feel distressed by the references in this programme, please speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support such as Befrienders Worldwide: www.befrienders.org

For UK viewers, details of organisations offering information and support are available at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

📽️ Watch this film in SWAHILI here ➡️

• Kifo cha kushtua cha msichana kutoka Ugand...

In HAUSA here ➡️

• Binciken BBC Africa Eye ya bankaɗo yadda a...

And in FRENCH here ➡️

• Mort à Dubaï : #DubaiPortaPotty - Document...

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