In March 2018, Finnish Tiina Jauhiainen was attacked in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Since then, she has dedicated her daily life to defend the rights of Princess Latifa al-Maktoum of Dubai.
Latifa al-Maktoum had not left Dubai for 18 years. Not because she didn’t want to. She had no passport, let alone permission to travel. She couldn’t even visit the homes of her friends, nor leave her father’s palace without a guard.
Tiina Jauhiainen has always loved traveling and has lived most of her life abroad. Born in Iisalm in 1976, Jauhiainen went to high school in her hometown, but left immediately after to become an au pair in San Diego, California. From there she moved to London to study, and after many twists and turns ended up in Dubai.
Against all odds, these two women became inseparable friends whose first trip together became worldwide news.
At the turn of the 21st century, Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, was an ideal tourism destination. In a place where summer is year round, tourism grew rapidly. That’s also why Jauhiainen came to work there.
“It was supposed to be a gap year. I returned from Dubai to London, but it didn’t feel the same anymore. I decided to move to Dubai and lived there for 17 years,” she recalls.
Over the years, Jauhiainen worked in the tourism industry, as a real estate agent and as a personal trainer. As the years went by, the new home changed. In the past, Jauhiainen could go to the beach in the evenings with friends, light a fire and enjoy a few beers. Today, there may be problems in Dubai, for example, because of public affection.
“Nowadays, there are only rules after rules, you don’t dare to do anything. In Dubai, you may get in trouble for just about anything, even Facebook posts, ”Jauhiainen says.
“During those years, there was quite a change in thinking.”