Spain: Woman Arrested for Attempting to Sell Minor Daughter into Marriage
A woman in Spain attempted to sell her 12-year-old daughter, with the help of her husband, for forced marriage in exchange for 3,000 euros ($3,250).
Spanish authorities arrested the woman and her husband in mid-February in the town of Malagon, about 150 kilometers south of Madrid, according to the state-owned channel “RTVE” on Tuesday, citing the civil police.
The girl was found a few days later in Baza, a town in the Andalusia region, about 200 kilometers from the mother and her husband’s home. She was rescued before being forced into marriage with a 17-year-old.
The mother denied these allegations, stating that her daughter wanted to “go to her boyfriend.”
The police confirmed to the German news agency (dpa) the arrest of the girl’s mother and her husband.
According to “RTVE,” it was the mother’s neighbor in Malagon who informed the police about the incident.
The neighbor said in an interview with the channel that “the little girl is my son’s closest friend… She was beaten by her mother and one day asked me for help and told me everything.” She explained that the girl was afraid of her mother and was always “crying and trembling.”
The neighbor also mentioned that she had already gone to the police earlier and reported the girl’s mistreatment, indicating that she informed the police again after the girl disappeared, “prompting the police to act quickly.”
