About
two weeks ago, we reported on virgin auctions in Medellin, Columbia, being run
by remnants of Pablo Escobar’s notorious drug cartel. The investigation and reporting were done by the
Independent UK, and apparently, it may have gotten someone’s attention. (Original story here)
 |
| Arrests in Bogota for Virgin Auctions |
This
week, CNN reports that a mother of 14 girls in Bogota, Columbia has been
arrested for auctioning off the virginity of all of her daughters when they
were barely out of puberty. (full
story) Margarita de Jesus Zapata Moreno,
45, was arrested along with a 51 year-old contractor who police believe
impregnated the now 16-year old daughter who came forward with an accusation
and a child, allegedly by the man.
According
to CNN: Authorities also say the suspect
would begin selling her daughters to men as soon as the girls turned 12 years
old. She charged anywhere between 300,000 and 400,000 Colombian Pesos ($160 to
$212) for a virgin.
The
mother and contractor both deny the accusations. Police are asking the other daughters to come
forward and are working to build cases against other men who paid for sex with
the minors.
According to authorities, only two of Margarita de Jesus Zapata
Moreno's 14 children were not forced into prostitution. They were the two
youngest -- an 11-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl -- and they have been
placed in the custody of a Colombian government child protection agency.
This is an atrocious story, and
taken with the prior story from the Independent, one of epic proportions in
Columbia, of ruined lives and innocents preyed upon. Lest anyone think it is a third-world
problem, we reported on recent arrests in Houston for underage prostitution and
human trafficking a few miles from downtown.
(Link here)
Shining a light on the problem is
a start. Serious jail time for the pimps
and johns and protection for the women and girls who come forward is the next
step, including T-Visas for the victims in this country who are brave enough to
step forward and testify against their traffickers and captors. The sickness
that sends men to prize sex with children may best be cured with a shotgun. It’s good to see that Columbia is starting
somewhere.
Full story and photo credit: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Police-Mom-sold-her-daughters-virginity/-/1637132/22632994/-/8xxqc3/-/index.html
Story source: CNN
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