The Spanish Civil Guard detained the parents of a 14-year-old girl for selling her to another family so that she could marry their 21-year-old son, who was also detained, as were his 40-year-old father and 42-year-old mother.
This case occurred in January, but it was only this Saturday that it was reported by the Spanish newspaper El Paísstating that the girl’s parents, both 35 years old, who live in Ribera, in the province of Navarra, met with another family living in Lleida, Catalonia, and finalized this illicit business, receiving a payment of 5,000 euros, five bottles of whiskey and some basic food.
After the agreement, the girl, who belongs to the gypsy community, was taken to Catalonia and remained there under the control of the purchasing family to be forced to marry their son. The child, who did not attend school, was also forced to beg on the streets to support this family.
The Civil Guard also revealed that this case was reported to social services after the topic was discussed in a small town. An investigation was then opened, which led to the identification of those involved and also led to the determination of the girl’s whereabouts, after on October 3rd the Spanish police issued an alert to the Mossos d’Esquadra (the Catalan police) about the girl’s disappearance.
That same day, a resident of Borges Blanques who was shopping in a supermarket found a child begging, to whom he gave some food, and then watched what he was going to do with the food. When he realized that the girl was trying to exchange her goods for money, the man called the Mossos d’Esquadra, who ended up taking her to the police station to try to find out her identity, as she did not speak Spanish or Catalan, nor did she have documents.
At the police facilities, there was already a gypsy couple who claimed to be the child’s uncles and tried to take her quickly, but as the officers on duty did not believe the story, they asked for the girl’s documents, whose data, after being entered into the computer system, led to an alert for the child to be protected.
The couple was immediately detained and agents later discovered, through Facebook, photos of the girl’s wedding with the couple’s son.
The couple and their son were accused of human trafficking, child sexual exploitation and forced marriage, while the girl was taken to a Generalitat (Catalan government) protection center, where she receives specialized care and support.
In turn, the parents are accused of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage.