WILLEMSTAD – A 23-year-old Venezuelan woman has been sentenced by the Court of First Instance of Curaçao to three months in prison, nearly two of which are suspended, for smuggling her 6-year-old son from Venezuela to Curaçao. The mother arranged for her child to be brought over by boat without valid residency documents, a journey the judge deemed extremely dangerous.
The woman and her ex-partner paid nearly 800 dollars to have their son transported to Curaçao. She, who resides on the island without a legal permit, claimed she wanted to reunite with her child and rescue him from poor living conditions in Venezuela. However, the judge dismissed her plea of force majeure, ruling that the smuggling was deliberate and paid for, making it a punishable offense in Curaçao.
In determining the sentence, the court considered both the seriousness of the crime and the woman’s personal circumstances. Since she had already been released from pre-trial detention, she will only serve the remaining 41 days if she reoffends within the next three years.