15 Chinese victims of slavery and sexual exploitation released in Spain
Spanish police announced today that they had released 15 Chinese women, victims of a network of slavery and sexual exploitation in Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, while 14 people were detained on suspicion of belonging to the organization.
seven detainees were remanded in pre-trial detention. The suspects are 13 Chinese citizens and one Spanish citizen, 12 of whom were arrested in the Balearic Islands and two in Barcelona (east).
“The victims were subjected to a slavery regime, had to always be available and were forced to provide services at home,” added the police.
Women were forced to work “24 hours a day, seven days a week, without freedom of movement and without the possibility of refusing any client”.
According to authorities, some of the women were already in Spain when they were caught by this network, while others traveled from China “after accepting alleged job offers as massage therapists for therapeutic purposes, with a salary of around 2,000 euros per month, or as cooks or domestic helpers”.
The network profited not only from sexual exploitation, but also from the sale of stimulants and drugs to customers, according to the same source.
With the proceeds from this exploitation, “the money was sent to Chinese citizens responsible for transforming it into yuan, and the funds were then deposited in bank accounts in China.”
The investigation was initiated thanks to two anonymous complaints and the “crucial” testimony of one of the victims who managed to escape and claimed to have been sexually and physically assaulted, according to police.
The non-governmental organization Our Rescue contributed to the operation.
