Sydney (Australia), Nov 16 (EFE).– A Colombian citizen was accused this Friday before an Australian court of allegedly subjecting a group of Venezuelans to “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” by forcing them to perform servitude tasks to pay debts, as confirmed by police sources.
The 38-year-old man appeared today before the Magistrates Court of the southern city of Adelaide (southeast) for two crimes of aggravated debt bondage and servitude, which are punishable by prison sentences of up to seven and twenty years, respectively, according to a statement from the Australian Federal Police.
The accused, who was not identified, had links with some young Venezuelans, whose number was not specified and who had helped them migrate to Australia in 2015 in Venezuela, as well as other people of this same nationality who arrived in the oceanic country the following year. .
According to the Police, after the arrival of these Venezuelans to Australia, the accused took away their passports and subjected them to strict control of their movements, restricted their daily activities and forced them to do various tasks.
The accused also controlled the income of the Venezuelans, who have not been identified, and imposed debt payments on them “unjustifiably”, while isolating them from their families and friends by restricting their communications.
Police investigations into the case, which began at the beginning of the year, revealed that this Colombian allegedly locked some members of the group inside the house or in closets for several days.
Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Melinda Adam said: “Criminals often benefit or take advantage of vulnerable people who are unable or unwilling to report exploitative conditions for fear of retaliation, social isolation and economic dependency.” .
In this sense, “the victims are considerably deprived of personal freedom in all aspects of their lives, and threats, coercion or deception are often used against them,” Adam pointed out in the statement.EFE
