Police rescue 14 minors from religious foundation in Santo Domingo over abuse and exploitation
Dominican police rescued 14 children aged between 3 months and 13 years from a religious foundation on the outskirts of the capital. More than ten people were detained and handed over to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Religious foundation investigated for child abuse and possible human trafficking in Santo Domingo
The Dominican Republic's police force rescued 14 minors on Monday and detained more than ten people as part of an investigation into alleged child abuse, labour exploitation and possible human trafficking, according to almomento.net. The operation targeted a religious foundation situated on the outskirts of Santo Domingo.
The spokesman for the National Police, Diego Pesqueira, told the press that the "supposed foundation had the role of rescuing families in vulnerable situations and they used this condition to have these minors in their care". The victims are aged between 3 months and 13 years old, Pesqueira specified.
All the children were transferred to a foster home while investigations continue.
A 12-year-old boy alerted the authorities
The detentions took place following a report from a 12-year-old minor who presented himself on 28 August at the police station in Hatillo, in the south-west of Santo Domingo. The boy claimed to have escaped from the foundation "Restaurando Vida, Un Muerto que Revive", one of the facilities subsequently searched by the authorities.
According to the minor's statement, the children were under the control of a man whom they knew as "El Pastor" or "El Capellán". He claimed to have been subjected to physical abuse and forced to carry out construction and agricultural work.
Alleged perpetrator identified as 69-year-old pastor
Preliminary investigations suggest that the man identified by the minor is Ángel Gabriel Capellán, 69 years old, who is listed as pastor of the aforementioned foundation.
The police reported that more than ten people detained during the operation were handed over to the Public Prosecutor's Office, without providing further details about how the operation unfolded.
Source: Google News DO — Crime