Argentine prosecutor reveals how Camila Rodríguez crossed border with adult
The Uruguayan teenager was found in good condition in Argentina. The accused contacted her through a video game and WhatsApp without the family's knowledge.
Gesell Chamber and investigative statement, next steps before returning Camila to Uruguay
Uruguayan teenager Camila Rodríguez was found in Argentina in good general health, confirmed to montevideo.com.uy by the federal prosecutor of Concepción del Uruguay, Josefina Minatta. Argentine Justice is awaiting completion of a series of procedures before authorising her return to the country.
Among the pending procedures are the minor's statement in Gesell Chamber and the receipt of reports prepared by professionals from the rescue and support programme for victims of human trafficking, as well as from an interdisciplinary team working with her. "They generally take two or three days. These are procedural formalities that cannot be done immediately because the case is of extreme gravity," Minatta explained.
The accused will be subjected to an investigative statement. He is provisionally accused of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, although the prosecutor clarified that the charge is provisional and may be revised on the basis of the child's statement and professional reports. Additionally, he will be charged with a migration offence for having transported a person across the border without using authorised crossing points.
Regarding the border crossing, Minatta noted that Camila crossed on foot, but it was not possible to establish with certainty how the transfer was actually carried out. "The accused was a person accustomed to committing certain transborder crimes, so we do not know exactly how she crossed. It is likely that the accused knew where to do it without being detected," the prosecutor said in an interview with Telenoche (Channel 4).
The investigation also aims to reconstruct the relationship the accused had established with the minor's family. According to Minatta, the man initially approached the family circle with the intention of befriending Camila's sister, and even invited the whole family to take a trip. In that context, he began to interact increasingly with the child.
Camila's father noticed that the adult was getting too close to his daughter and threw him out of the house. The man then returned to Argentina, but maintained contact with the minor through a video game and WhatsApp, without the family's knowledge. "When they throw him out, he goes back to Argentina, but he keeps contacting the girl through a little game and WhatsApp. It was behind the family's back, of course," Minatta detailed.
The prosecutor also mentioned that the girl had told the man that she was feeling unwell. Her father had stated, while the minor was missing, that Camila was experiencing bullying at school.
Source: Google News UY — Crime