Did this take place somewhere in Pakistan, Afghanistan or China? No, it was Navarra, in northern Spain.
In fact, the price also included, five bottles of whisky, and some basic food items, set by the 35-year-old father for his 14-year-old daughter.
The deal had been struck with another couple from Lleida and as of January, the young girl found herself married to the buyer’s son, six years her senior (20) and has been sent out to beg on a daily basis in Les Borges Blanques.
Fortunately, local social services reported that the girl had disappeared from home to the Guardia Civil in Navarra, who launched an investigation. The Women & Minors Unit (EMUME) identified those involved in the illegal, human-trafficking transaction and began searching for the girl.
In October, the girl was found in Les Borges Blanques (Cataluña), where she had been forced to beg. The Guardia Civil, working with the Catalan regional police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, freed the girl and took her into a protective-custody centre, where she is currently staying.
“The minor, a member of a Roma (Gypsy) community, was taken to Cataluña, where she remained under the control of the family who had bought her for the purpose of a forced marriage,” read the Guardia Civil, press release that was issued yesterday.
It went on to state, “The girl, who was not attending school, was forced to beg as a way to provide money for the family.”
Her parents were arrested in Navarra on the same day that the girl was rescued. The parents were brought before the police court in Tudela. The girl’s ‘new family; ‘a couple aged 40 and 42, and their 20-year-old son, were brought before the a judge in Lleida where a date was set for trial. They have been charged with human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage.
(News: La Ribera, Navarra)
Keywords: Forced Marriage, Gypsy Family, Cataluña, Sold, 14-Years Old, Forced to Beg, Les Borges Blanques.
news, navarra, la ribera, forced marriage, gypsy family, cataluña, sold, 14-years old, forced to beg, les borges blanques.