She had been recruited and trafficked by her friends ..."Bandung (ANTARA News) - Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa confirmed that 19-year-old F, who was raped by 19 men, was a victim of human trafficking committed by her own friends.
"The case in Manado is that of human trafficking. She had been recruited and trafficked by her friends, and later, she was sexually assaulted," the minister stated here, Sunday.
Parawansa had visited Gorontalo to gain firsthand information on the rape and human trafficking cases.
The minister revealed that the rape had occurred long ago, and the media had repeatedly reported the incident, but the response from law enforcers and the community had been poor.
F was drugged and raped by 15 men in North Sulawesi and later again by four men in Gorontalo in January. Two of the four men were allegedly police officers.
The minister remarked that the legal process was now underway, emphasizing that those involved in sexual crimes should be punished in accordance with the existing laws.
When F returned home in North Sulawesi after being raped, she hardly recognized her own mother and siblings, according to Rani, the girls mother.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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