Another story not specifically about children, but certainly many young girls are kidnapped and sexually exploited in Argentina and elsewhere. Beware, this is a heart-breaking story to read.
A court in Argentina has sentenced 10 people to up to 22 years in jail for the kidnapping and sexual exploitation of a young woman, Marita Veron.
The defendants were all cleared of abducting her in 2012, but a new trial was ordered after her mother, Susana Trimarco, appealed.
The case shone a light on sex trafficking in Argentina after Mrs Trimarco rescued many women in the search for her daughter.
Ms Veron - Maria de los Angeles Veron - disappeared from the city of San Miguel de Tucuman when she was 23 years old, but has never been found. She was kidnapped on Apr 3rd, 2002. She left a young daughter of her own behind.
In a heartbreaking twist of fate, she was found three days later by police in the area of La Ramada, over 30 kilometers away, wearing shoes with heels instead of the sneakers she had been wearing when she disappeared. It appeared that she had escaped from a sex party. Police left her on a bus that was headed to Tucumán, but she never arrived.
Three weeks later a prostitute told her parents that she had been 'sold' to traffickers.
Sex workers reported spotting her in several locations in the country, where they said she was forced to work as a prostitute.
The court in the north-western province of Tucuman handed down sentences of 22 years in prison to two brothers, Jose and Gonzalo Gomez.
Marita's mother, Susana Trimarco, said she would continue to look for her missing daughter.
Seven other defendants received sentences of at least 10 years; a 10th accused was given 15 days of house arrest.
"I never found Marita, but justice has been done," Mrs Trimarco said after the sentencing.
"I do not mean with this that I'm not going to keep fighting.
"We will continue until the day we will know what they did with Marita," the Argentine newspaper, La Nacion, quoted her as saying.
Last December, a court in Tucuman overturned an earlier ruling which had cleared the defendants.
Their acquittal in December 2012 caused outrage in Argentina, with thousands taking to the streets in Tucuman and the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, in protest.
Ms Veron had been on her way to a local hospital for a medical appointment when she was abducted.
As her mother launched a campaign to find her, the case soon became a symbol of the fight against human trafficking in Argentina.
The information she gathered led to police raids in which dozens of sexually exploited women were rescued. One of the women freed during a raid reported seeing Marita with dyed hair and blue contact lenses, but that she had been removed shortly before the raid.
One madam caught up in the raids stated that Marita was in Spain. The Spanish police responded to information supplied by Argentina and conducted raids of their own where 17 trafficked women were set free, but Marita was not among them.
Mrs Trimarco's campaign also helped bring about new laws against human trafficking in Argentina.
In 2007, she set up a foundation, the Fundacion Maria de los Angeles, named after her missing daughter, which has helped rescue victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
She was also among those given the first US Secretary of State International Women of Courage award in 2007 by Condoleezza Rice, for her efforts against human trafficking.
God bless her for the wonderful, courageous work she has done for so may young women in Argentina. Please reward her by reuniting her with her daughter, or at least, finding out what happened to her so that the years of struggle, grief and anger so visible on her face may be replaced with Your peace.
A court in Argentina has sentenced 10 people to up to 22 years in jail for the kidnapping and sexual exploitation of a young woman, Marita Veron.
The defendants were all cleared of abducting her in 2012, but a new trial was ordered after her mother, Susana Trimarco, appealed.
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| Susana Trimarco holding photo of missing daughter Marita |
The case shone a light on sex trafficking in Argentina after Mrs Trimarco rescued many women in the search for her daughter.
Ms Veron - Maria de los Angeles Veron - disappeared from the city of San Miguel de Tucuman when she was 23 years old, but has never been found. She was kidnapped on Apr 3rd, 2002. She left a young daughter of her own behind.
In a heartbreaking twist of fate, she was found three days later by police in the area of La Ramada, over 30 kilometers away, wearing shoes with heels instead of the sneakers she had been wearing when she disappeared. It appeared that she had escaped from a sex party. Police left her on a bus that was headed to Tucumán, but she never arrived.
Three weeks later a prostitute told her parents that she had been 'sold' to traffickers.
Sex workers reported spotting her in several locations in the country, where they said she was forced to work as a prostitute.
The court in the north-western province of Tucuman handed down sentences of 22 years in prison to two brothers, Jose and Gonzalo Gomez.
Marita's mother, Susana Trimarco, said she would continue to look for her missing daughter.
Seven other defendants received sentences of at least 10 years; a 10th accused was given 15 days of house arrest.
"I never found Marita, but justice has been done," Mrs Trimarco said after the sentencing.
"We will continue until the day we will know what they did with Marita," the Argentine newspaper, La Nacion, quoted her as saying.
Last December, a court in Tucuman overturned an earlier ruling which had cleared the defendants.
Their acquittal in December 2012 caused outrage in Argentina, with thousands taking to the streets in Tucuman and the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, in protest.
Ms Veron had been on her way to a local hospital for a medical appointment when she was abducted.
As her mother launched a campaign to find her, the case soon became a symbol of the fight against human trafficking in Argentina.
The information she gathered led to police raids in which dozens of sexually exploited women were rescued. One of the women freed during a raid reported seeing Marita with dyed hair and blue contact lenses, but that she had been removed shortly before the raid.
One madam caught up in the raids stated that Marita was in Spain. The Spanish police responded to information supplied by Argentina and conducted raids of their own where 17 trafficked women were set free, but Marita was not among them.
Mrs Trimarco's campaign also helped bring about new laws against human trafficking in Argentina.
In 2007, she set up a foundation, the Fundacion Maria de los Angeles, named after her missing daughter, which has helped rescue victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
She was also among those given the first US Secretary of State International Women of Courage award in 2007 by Condoleezza Rice, for her efforts against human trafficking.
God bless her for the wonderful, courageous work she has done for so may young women in Argentina. Please reward her by reuniting her with her daughter, or at least, finding out what happened to her so that the years of struggle, grief and anger so visible on her face may be replaced with Your peace.
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