- Two teenager, aged 13 and 15, were victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, in a rural parish in the Zapotillo canton, province of Loja. The main suspect of collaborating in the criminal organization is their father. The minors and their mother were rescued by the agents of the Unit Against Trafficking in Persons of the Police and the Prosecutor’s Office. The case was investigated since last March due to a citizen complaint. “The mother apparently had not been exploited, but neither would she have consented to such acts. She was also removed from the place and taken to a safe space,” said Major Mario Centeno, head of the Unit Against Human Trafficking.
- A woman was sentenced to preventive detention for the crime of sexual exploitation. The victims are her four daughters: two minors (one with a disability) and two older. The sisters were allegedly abused by their stepfather and by another individual. The first is behind bars, while the other implicated has not been located. The case was discovered in the El Triunfo canton, Guayas province, after one of the adolescents suffered an abortion. The minor, so far, is admitted to a local clinic. Prosecutor’s office, who heard about the case, said that the minor was taken to the hospital because she was bleeding profusely. Doctors determined that she was pregnant and had a leak. He added that the two older sisters had children as a result of sexual assaults and during the investigation the analyzes will be carried out to determine who the father is.
Cases like this are very common in Ecuador, where a higher percentage of victims of sexual exploitation are sold by their relatives. This day let us pray for the families of Ecuador, for the union between parents and children and for the Holy Spirit to pour out peace, love, and mercy on our world. Let us pray for the girls who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, that they find peace in the midst of the storm and that God fill them with strength to be able to get out of that prison.