WILLEMSTAD - Three Venezuelan men and one woman are facing human trafficking charges stemming from an incident on April 5th. The accused appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with transporting eleven undocumented individuals, including a 13-year-old girl, from Venezuela to Curaçao. The girl’s mother is also facing charges of complicity and endangering her child by entrusting her to strangers for the dangerous journey.
One of the accused men claims he traveled to Curaçao without documents seeking a better life and denies any involvement in human trafficking. Another suspect has been identified by the girl as the boat’s captain, but he denies this, offering an alternative explanation for the confusion. The girl's mother admitted her error, explaining that her daughter’s life was at risk in Venezuela and she hoped to secure a better future for her in Curaçao.
The court was unable to fully address the case on Wednesday as one of the suspects did not have legal representation. The judge has agreed to re-examine the girl due to conflicting statements. The case has been adjourned until November 20th.