January 18, 2021 • 27 mins
Maria de los Angeles Veron was a 23 year old woman living in the Tucuman Province in the northwest of Argentina. On the 3rd April 2002 she left her mother’s home to attend a hospital appointment when, according to witnesses, she was kidnapped by a group of people who dragged her into a red car. Evidence would later suggest these were human traffickers whose aim was to force her into a life of prostitution. In today’s episode we will look at one mother’s crusade to save her daughter.
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Music is Drumming in the Rain Instrumental by Chad Crouch
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Resources:
https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/argentina/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Marita_Ver%C3%B3n
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-latin-america-26950479
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20705751
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25429736
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25150428
https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/01/03/inenglish/1388761518_070066.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susana_Trimarco
http://www.tipheroes.org/sara-susana-del-valle-trimarco-de-veron/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Argentina#:~:text=Some%2064%25%20of%20court%20cases,male%2C%20and%204%25%20transgender.
Website: https://thestudentsverdict.wixsite.com/mysite
Email: thestudentverdict@gmail.com
All Links: https://linktr.ee/thestudentverdict
Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/the-students-verdicts-first-collection/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thestudentverdict
Music is Drumming in the Rain Instrumental by Chad Crouch
Ad: https://tsfuthepodcast.com/
Resources:
https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-trafficking-in-persons-report/argentina/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Marita_Ver%C3%B3n
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-latin-america-26950479
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20705751
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25429736
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25150428
https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2014/01/03/inenglish/1388761518_070066.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susana_Trimarco
http://www.tipheroes.org/sara-susana-del-valle-trimarco-de-veron/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Argentina#:~:text=Some%2064%25%20of%20court%20cases,male%2C%20and%204%25%20transgender.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
Maria de los Angeles Varon was atwenty three year old woman living in the
Tucuman province in the northwest of Argentina. On the third of April two thousand
and two, she left her mother'shome to attend a hospital appointment. One
according to witnesses, she was kidnappedby a group of people who dragged her
into a red car. Evidence wouldlater suggest these were human traffickers whose aim
(00:37):
was to force her into a lifeof prostitution. In today's episode, we
will look at one mother's crusade tosave her daughter. Hey everybody, and
welcome to episode twenty one of theStudent's Verdict podcast. Here with our first
(01:00):
episode of twenty twenty one. Thankyou so much for joining me on another
true crime adventure. To all ofyour new listeners, welcome, pull up
a chair. My name is Emilyand I'm your host. If you haven't
already, please go and listen tosome of our earlier episodes, including The
Deadly Drug Trial and Larissa Shuster theAcid Lady. Please follow me on all
(01:22):
the socials Instagram at the Student VerdictPod, Twitter at Student Verdict, and
on Facebook, where I have apage and a group for us to chat
and share. If you missed anythingI just said, links are in the
show notes. As always, ifyou enjoy the show, which it seems
like you are because we've had areal boost in listeners, so thank you
(01:42):
so much. If you enjoy theshow, please consider leaving me a review.
If you don't like the show,then please keep your opinions to yourself.
As always, resources used in thisepisode will be linked in the show
notes. In the show notes youwill also find links to the Student's Verdict,
merchandise and the Patreon page. Anysupport you'd like to give is hugely
(02:07):
appreciated. A quick warning, thiscase comes with a trigger warning as we
will be discussing human sex trafficking,so listener discretion is advised. With all
of that said, let's jump intotoday's episode. Today we are going to
be talking about the kidnapping of Mariade los Angeles Veron, who went by
(02:29):
Marita. At twenty three years old, she was living in her hometown of
two Command Province in the northwest ofArgentina. On the third of April two
thousand and two, she left hermother's house to attend a doctor's appointment when
she mysteriously disappeared. Three days later, she was found by police in the
(02:49):
area of Laramada, over thirty kilometersaway from where she was kidnapped. It
appeared as though she had escaped froma sex party. Police then left her
on a bus that was headed totwo Kuman, but Marita would never reach
her destination and her mother would neversee her daughter again. Immediately after her
(03:12):
daughter's disappearance, Susanna Tremarco launched acrusade to find her daughter, saying quote,
April third, two thousand and twowas the saddest day of my life.
I will never forget that day,as it was when my daughter's life
was destroyed. Susanna and her husbandDaniel, who sadly passed away in two
(03:34):
thousand and ten, called neighbors,the police, and various hospitals, but
unfortunately, no one knew their daughter'swhereabouts. Susannah recalled quote, We walked
back and forth to hospitals, streets, We talked with her girlfriends. Nothing.
I was desperate. At the policestation, they didn't want to take
(03:57):
our report. They said she hadgone voluntarily with a boyfriend or with her
girlfriends. Then they said they hadno paper to take down a report or
gas to go out and look forher in a car. It was a
few days later that a witness cameforward and reported seeing Marita being pushed into
a red car by three men.Three weeks later, a prostitute told Marita's
(04:21):
parents that she had been sold totraffickers. Before we go any further into
this story, let's just talk abouttrafficking. Human trafficking in Argentina is the
illegal trade in persons for the purposesof reproductive slavery, sexual exploitation, forced
(04:42):
labor, organ removal, or anyform of modern slavery. Worldwide, human
trafficking is ranked third among felony crimes, behind arms and drug trafficking. It's
estimated to account for the movement ofmore than thirty two billion dollars worldwide.
A United Nations International Protocol against HumanTrafficking was signed by one hundred and seventeen
(05:08):
different countries, including Argentina. Thistreaty obligates the countries that a party to
it to prevent and combat human traffickingand to assist and protect the victims of
it. The basic elements of traffickingare recruitment, which can be done by
either deception or force, transport fromwhere the individual was kidnapped to the site
(05:31):
of the exploitation, which could bebetween regions or countries and operation. Here
the victim is subjected to exploitation bythe pimp or the operator, who takes
an illegal right of property over thevictim. In the transport element, there
is often collusion between the transporters,corrupt officials, and intermediaries to the trafficking.
(05:58):
Here is a quick PSA. Iam not Spanish. I cannot speak
Spanish fluently. I learned Spanish uptill I was about sixteen years old.
I am now twenty five. Soif my pronunciation is poor, I am
so so sorry. I wish Icould speak Spanish. I think it's an
amazing language, but I can't,so apologies. With little help from the
(06:18):
police, Marita's parents were forced toconduct their own investigation into their daughter's disappearance.
Susannah disguised herself as a prostitute togain access to various brothels where she
hoped to find clues as to herdaughter's whereabouts. With the evidence Susannah and
her husband gathered, police raided anumber of suspected brothels where Marita could have
(06:41):
been held the brothels in Lariocha wereknown as cabarets or whisker ears, but
inside their walls they held deep,dark secrets. They are now known as
places for the practice of prostitution,where there was the systematic recruitment of women,
including by means of depriving them oftheir liberty. Three whiskerriers were identified
(07:05):
in Lariocha, Candy, El Candelechhasor the Limelight, and El de Sapphio
or the Challenge. All of themwere identified as fronts for prostitution. A
woman freed from one of the whiskerriasduring the raid reported having seen Marita in
(07:26):
Candy. She gave a physical description, dyed hair and blue contact lenses.
This woman told authorities that sadly,Marita had been removed from the whiskerrias shortly
before the police raid. The searchwas given another lead when the alleged madam
of Candy, Lydia Medina, washeard to say, those fools are looking
(07:48):
for her and she's in Spain.Lydia Medina, her son, and his
wife were all arrested for unlawful deprivationof liberty and aggravated promotion of prostitution.
Other branches of the investigation incriminated DaniellaMilhane from Tucuman, who allegedly had intended
(08:09):
to transport Marita to Rio Glejos.She was detained along with her husband and
a Lariocha province official who was transportingwomen. Based on the tip, Susanna
Tremarco knocked on the door of theSpanish embassy in Buenos Aires and even had
the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis RodriguezZapetero issue an invitation to come to Madrid.
(08:35):
Unfortunately, when Susanna arrived, noone was able to provide any clues
as to Merita's whereabouts. In Februarytwo thousand and twelve, seven men and
six women were charged with kidnapping MaritaViron and promoting prostitution. The trial took
(08:56):
place in the city of San Miguelde Tucuman. The trial went on for
a staggering three months as more thanone hundred and thirty witnesses took the stand
to give evidence, including a dozenwomen who had been rescued from the brothels
by Susanna Tremarco. During the trial, Susanna Tremarco herself also gave evidence She
(09:18):
described in detail the story of herten years search for her daughter. In
the court room, she stood strong, confronting the defendants, politicians, and
police as she explained how she investigatedthe harrowing business of human trafficking with the
sole aim of finding her daughter.Whilst giving evidence, Susanna talked about her
(09:41):
family, her husband Daniel Varon,who had passed away two years before.
She also talked about their children,Horace and Marita. She described what happened
the day that Marita disappeared. Shesuspected that a nurse who lived in the
same neighborhood as Marita, Patricia Siria, may have had some involvement. Quote.
(10:03):
Marita wanted to get an IUD andinsisted that Marita go to Maternidad,
the maternity center. I did notlike this woman at all, since she
asked Marita so many details of herprivate life and of her family, she
stated. Susannah testified against Miguel Ardiles, a supposed employee of Maternidad, who
(10:26):
helped Marita get an appointment. Quote. They called her at three to give
her the appointment, and they askedher to bring her document. This document
was her identity card. The DOCUMENTONacional Deidentidad, which is required for hospital
admissions, to carry out banking procedures, and as travel documentation. Susannah remarked
(10:48):
that this seemed unusual to her.Before we get any further into the story,
I'd like to take a minute justto tell you about a podcast that
I think you're really going to like. It's called That's sot Up. That
is so fucked Uppies, just sofuck That's fucked up. This is That's
(11:18):
So fucked Up, a podcast aboutcults, murder, and other fucked up
stuff, like really really fucked upstuff. He cut off her nipples,
tore out her heart, tied itto a rope, and hung it on
the wall. This cult has everything, magic rituals, child sacrifice, cloaks,
(11:39):
daggers, and even a little armsdealing. The fucking sharks eight Mark
under the dinghy strangled him to deathso violently that he ended up asphyxiating on
his own. Vonnet were your hosts. I'm Ashley Richards and I'm Cameron Dexter.
Join us every Fucked Up Friday onApple, Podcasts, Spotify, everywhere
(12:00):
you listen to podcasts. When thecourt resumed after a recess, Susannah spoke
of the search for her daughter.She spared no words against the former governor
Julio Miranda and officials of his cabinet. Quote, like a stupid person,
I went to the Governor's mansion.I say stupid because the mafia was there.
(12:24):
She spoke of Reuben Lachanca or thepig Ale. Susanna alleged he was
head of the Holigan group associated withthe San Martin soccer club. She believed
that this man was chiefly responsible forher daughter's disappearance. Now, it should
be noted that Reuben Ale did notstand trial in this case, but after
(12:46):
a money laundering scheme was uncovered aspart of Susannah's investigation, Reuben Ale,
his X and three others were arrestedin connection with the scheme. Going back
to the trial, then, Susannawent on to explain that La Chanca Ale
and the mafia handled all the drugsand prostitution in the province. Quote,
(13:09):
I don't know why the people ofTucuman don't stand up to them. I'm
going to stand up to them.Short and small as I am, I'm
going to defend my daughter. Susannatold the court that a woman had told
her what happened to her daughter.The woman gave details of where she had
been captive and that she was abductedfor sexual exploitation in Lariocha. I could
(13:33):
not believe these things existed, Susannatold the court. She went on to
explain that when she arrived at abrothel in Lariocha, she did not find
Marita, but she did find anothergirl I think it's pronounced a Nachi,
who ran into her arms and beggedSusanna to rescue her. A Nachi told
(13:56):
Susanna that she had seen her daughterthe previous week and related the ordeal she
had lived through. Susannah told thecourt quote, Unfortunately, I became a
specialist in this crime because I touchedit, I lived it, and I
searched for my daughter. I'll nevergive up the search. Whoever falls falls
(14:18):
My mission is my daughter. Ido not want to close my eyes before
finding out about her. There aremany missing girls who we are helping,
but I care about my daughter,Tremarco said firmly. On the eleventh of
December two thousand and twelve, aftera long emotional trial, a three judge
(14:39):
to command Provincial court cleared all thirteenof the defendants of all the charges,
saying quote, there were no elementsto prove the kidnapping of Merita. The
versions are about just such. Ittook ten years, the dossier has fifty
(15:00):
five bodies, and still it waspoorly investigated. No evidence was obtained that
could prove she was kidnapped to forceher into prostitution. People in the courtroom
sobbed and shouted after the verdict wasannounced, and attorneys representing Susanna Tremaco accused
(15:20):
the three judges of corruption. Aweek after the verdict, Susanna met with
Argentina's president and impeachment proceedings were startedagainst the three judges in the trial.
The President of Argentina, Christina Fernandezde Kirchner, wanted to use the acquittals
(15:41):
as a reason to push forward areform to democratize justice, but the bill
would later be declared unconstitutional by theSupreme Court. The following day after the
verdict, angry demonstrators in Argentina clashedwith police. They were distraught at the
equi tools of the thirteen defendants accusedof kidnapping Marita and forcing her into prostitution
(16:04):
ten years prior in the capital BuenosAires protests turned violent. Anonymous people published
the personal data addresses, telephone andbank statements of the judges who had presided
over the Verrong case. The anonymousgroup also hacked the government web pages.
(16:26):
The judges stood by their verdict,with Chief Judge Alberto Piedra Buena saying quote,
we could not establish what really happened, but it was not a case
of people trafficking. President Christina Fernandeztold reporters that when she had the verdict,
she telephoned Susanna Tremarco to offer hersupport, saying quote, I thought
(16:51):
I would find her destroyed, butI found her more together than ever,
more committed to keep fighting. Itold her, Susannah, you can always
count on me, and she toldme, President, don't worry, I'm
going to keep fighting. Famous figuressuch as Michelle Obama presented their respect and
(17:11):
support to Susannah Tremaco for her unrelentingwork against human trafficking. A year later,
in November twenty and thirteen, therewere a number of raids on brothels
in and around Buenos Aires. Almostone hundred women forced into prostitution were rescued.
(17:32):
The women had been trafficked from Paraguayand Peru. The fifty seven raids
took place over two weeks and ledto the arrests of twenty five people.
The trafficking of young women was clearlystill a huge concern in Argentina, with
thirty establishments portraying themselves as bars asthey operated as undercover brothels. These places
(17:56):
subsequently had their licenses revoked. Fakedocuments and drugs were also seized during the
course of the raids, with theBuenos Aires city Justice Minister telling reporters that
these raids were combating several crimes.He also indicated that some officials themselves were
(18:17):
being investigated. In December twenty thirteen, the Supreme Court of two Couman reviewed
the case and overturned the acquittals.When the case returned to court, ten
out of the thirteen suspects were convictedof the kidnapping and sexual exploitation of Marita
Varon. The court established that threelower ranking judges must be the ones to
(18:42):
establish the penalties for the ten guiltyparties. Susanna Tremerco's lawyers asked for sentences
ranging from twenty to twenty five yearsafter the convictions. Susanna said the following
quote. They are accomplices to thetrafficking. They kidnap women, tear them
(19:03):
from their families, sell them,and exploit them. I harbor the hope
that they will say something about mydaughter, but the justice system is not
looking for her. I am lookingfor her. I went to Spain on
a lead that suggested she had beensold there, but the attorney in Burgos
had neither her photograph nor her fingerprints. The court sentenced two brothers, Jose
(19:32):
and Gonzalo Gomez, to twenty twoyears in prison each. Seven other defendants
received sentences of at least ten years, and the tenth defendant was given fifteen
days house arrest. The judges saidfour of the defendants had conspired to hold
and conceal Marita for the exercise ofprostitution, while six more had participated in
(19:56):
her abduction and forced prostitution. Afterthe sentences had been handed down, Susanna
said the following quote, I neverfound Marita, but justice has been done.
I do not mean with this thatI'm not going to keep fighting.
We will continue until the day wewill know what they did with Marita.
(20:19):
I found Susanna Tremarco to be anincredible, incredible woman who took her daughter's
case into her own hands. Shecouldn't have known how many lives she would
touch when she started searching for Marita. She has been unrelenting in her passion
to combat human trafficking. In twothousand and seven, she created a foundation
(20:42):
in her daughter's name to help thevictims of sex slavery and to continue to
draw attention to the court's lack ofinterest. The foundation boasts having achieved the
release of hundreds of people. Thesame year, Susanna was given the first
US Secretary of State International Women ofCourage Award for her efforts against human trafficking.
(21:07):
In two thousand and seven, Argentinapassed a law that makes the abduction
and sexual exploitation of persons a federaloffense. The law also established a Rescue
Office in the Ministry of Justice andHuman Rights to oversee the prevention and investigation
of human trafficking crimes and to providelegal assistance to victims. In two thousand
(21:30):
and eight, Susanna's work led toArgentinian legislation that prohibited human trafficking. In
two thousand and eleven, President ChristinaFernandez de Kirchner enacted Rubro fifty nine,
which banned the advertisement of sexual servicesin newspapers and magazines. For the first
time, the Ministry of Security wasable to uncover that police forces were actually
(21:55):
implicated in the trafficking rings. TheArgentinian National Senate honored Susanna with the Premio
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento for her work inthe promotion of human rights, and in
March two thousand and twelve, theCanadian government honored Susannah with the John Diefenbaker
Defender of Human Rights and Freedom Award. If all of this wasn't enough,
(22:19):
Susannah was nominated for the twenty andthirteen Nobel Peace Prize. Before we end
this episode, I want to talkabout a twenty twenty Trafficking in Persons Report
for Argentina, which I will linkin the show notes. The Trafficking in
Persons Report is the United States government'sprincipal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on
(22:45):
human trafficking. Each country is rankedin its efforts to comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking.The tier system falls into three tiers.
Tiers one, two, three anda Tier two watch list. According to
this report, Argentina fully meets theminimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
(23:07):
The government continues to demonstrate serious andsustained efforts, and therefore Argentina remains on
Tier one. Efforts included passing anew law to mandate and fund victim restitution
in criminal cases and the expanding ofa trafficking investigations database to include provincial data.
(23:30):
As good as this all sounds,and it does sound good, it
is good. The report states thatArgentina investigated, prosecuted, and convicted fewer
traffickers in twenty twenty than in twentynineteen. The government convicted fifty three traffickers
in twenty nine cases, twenty threecases for sex trafficking and for for labor
(23:52):
trafficking, compared with seventy one traffickersin forty eight cases thirty for sex trafficking
and eighteen for labor trafficking in twoand eighteen, and thirty eight traffickers in
thirty two cases in twenty and seventeen. Official complicity in trafficking crimes is still
a concern, including those involved inthe witness protection program serving the victims Although
(24:17):
prosecutors opened at least four new traffickingcases involving current or former public officials,
the government didn't report any convictions.Courts in Buenos Aires convicted two public officials
accused of trafficking as accessories. Theseincluded a former police chief accused of exploiting
(24:37):
transgender women in sex trafficking at brothelsand a first sergeant accused of sex trafficking.
In another case, seven accused traffickersbenefited from police protection and political connections
in the management of two Buenos Airesbrothels. Another case was brought against two
public officials connect to the commercial sexualexploitation of victims in private residences. Here
(25:06):
are some other issues. The governmentdidn't allocate a dedicated budget to anti trafficking
efforts, they haven't provided dedicated housingfor male victims, and the National Anti
Trafficking Law considered force, fraud orcoercion to be aggravating factors rather than essential
elements of the crime. There arethirteen recommendations. I'm not going to go
(25:27):
through all of them, but theseinclude strengthening efforts to investigate, prosecute and
convict traffickers, documenting and addressing officialcomplicity in trafficking through prosecution and conviction,
to restructure the Witness Protection program toprevent abuse by agents and encompass trafficking victims'
(25:48):
needs, and to improve victim assistanceto include more specialized shelters and dedicated shelters
for male victims. I'd like toend by reminding you that, spite Susanna
Tremaco's monumental efforts, her daughter MaritaVaron, like so many others, is
still missing, and like so manyothers, deserves to come home. Here
(26:14):
is a quote from Susannah. Thejustice is not doing what it has to
do. It's not possible for mydaughter to remain missing like this. I
want her back, no matter whatcondition she is in. And that's the
end of today's episode. Thank youso much for joining me today. The
Student's Verdict is a biweekly podcast,so follow us on social media to hear
(26:37):
about our next episode. The Student'sVerdict can be found anywhere you listen to
podcasts, including Spreaker, YouTube andiHeartRadio. See you on the next one,
and remember to keep living the dream.
Maria de los Angeles Varon was atwenty three year old woman living in the
Tucuman province in the northwest of Argentina. On the third of April two thousand
and two, she left her mother'shome to attend a hospital appointment. One
according to witnesses, she was kidnappedby a group of people who dragged her
into a red car. Evidence wouldlater suggest these were human traffickers whose aim
(00:37):
was to force her into a lifeof prostitution. In today's episode, we
will look at one mother's crusade tosave her daughter. Hey everybody, and
welcome to episode twenty one of theStudent's Verdict podcast. Here with our first
(01:00):
episode of twenty twenty one. Thankyou so much for joining me on another
true crime adventure. To all ofyour new listeners, welcome, pull up
a chair. My name is Emilyand I'm your host. If you haven't
already, please go and listen tosome of our earlier episodes, including The
Deadly Drug Trial and Larissa Shuster theAcid Lady. Please follow me on all
(01:22):
the socials Instagram at the Student VerdictPod, Twitter at Student Verdict, and
on Facebook, where I have apage and a group for us to chat
and share. If you missed anythingI just said, links are in the
show notes. As always, ifyou enjoy the show, which it seems
like you are because we've had areal boost in listeners, so thank you
(01:42):
so much. If you enjoy theshow, please consider leaving me a review.
If you don't like the show,then please keep your opinions to yourself.
As always, resources used in thisepisode will be linked in the show
notes. In the show notes youwill also find links to the Student's Verdict,
merchandise and the Patreon page. Anysupport you'd like to give is hugely
(02:07):
appreciated. A quick warning, thiscase comes with a trigger warning as we
will be discussing human sex trafficking,so listener discretion is advised. With all
of that said, let's jump intotoday's episode. Today we are going to
be talking about the kidnapping of Mariade los Angeles Veron, who went by
(02:29):
Marita. At twenty three years old, she was living in her hometown of
two Command Province in the northwest ofArgentina. On the third of April two
thousand and two, she left hermother's house to attend a doctor's appointment when
she mysteriously disappeared. Three days later, she was found by police in the
(02:49):
area of Laramada, over thirty kilometersaway from where she was kidnapped. It
appeared as though she had escaped froma sex party. Police then left her
on a bus that was headed totwo Kuman, but Marita would never reach
her destination and her mother would neversee her daughter again. Immediately after her
(03:12):
daughter's disappearance, Susanna Tremarco launched acrusade to find her daughter, saying quote,
April third, two thousand and twowas the saddest day of my life.
I will never forget that day,as it was when my daughter's life
was destroyed. Susanna and her husbandDaniel, who sadly passed away in two
(03:34):
thousand and ten, called neighbors,the police, and various hospitals, but
unfortunately, no one knew their daughter'swhereabouts. Susannah recalled quote, We walked
back and forth to hospitals, streets, We talked with her girlfriends. Nothing.
I was desperate. At the policestation, they didn't want to take
(03:57):
our report. They said she hadgone voluntarily with a boyfriend or with her
girlfriends. Then they said they hadno paper to take down a report or
gas to go out and look forher in a car. It was a
few days later that a witness cameforward and reported seeing Marita being pushed into
a red car by three men.Three weeks later, a prostitute told Marita's
(04:21):
parents that she had been sold totraffickers. Before we go any further into
this story, let's just talk abouttrafficking. Human trafficking in Argentina is the
illegal trade in persons for the purposesof reproductive slavery, sexual exploitation, forced
(04:42):
labor, organ removal, or anyform of modern slavery. Worldwide, human
trafficking is ranked third among felony crimes, behind arms and drug trafficking. It's
estimated to account for the movement ofmore than thirty two billion dollars worldwide.
A United Nations International Protocol against HumanTrafficking was signed by one hundred and seventeen
(05:08):
different countries, including Argentina. Thistreaty obligates the countries that a party to
it to prevent and combat human traffickingand to assist and protect the victims of
it. The basic elements of traffickingare recruitment, which can be done by
either deception or force, transport fromwhere the individual was kidnapped to the site
(05:31):
of the exploitation, which could bebetween regions or countries and operation. Here
the victim is subjected to exploitation bythe pimp or the operator, who takes
an illegal right of property over thevictim. In the transport element, there
is often collusion between the transporters,corrupt officials, and intermediaries to the trafficking.
(05:58):
Here is a quick PSA. Iam not Spanish. I cannot speak
Spanish fluently. I learned Spanish uptill I was about sixteen years old.
I am now twenty five. Soif my pronunciation is poor, I am
so so sorry. I wish Icould speak Spanish. I think it's an
amazing language, but I can't,so apologies. With little help from the
(06:18):
police, Marita's parents were forced toconduct their own investigation into their daughter's disappearance.
Susannah disguised herself as a prostitute togain access to various brothels where she
hoped to find clues as to herdaughter's whereabouts. With the evidence Susannah and
her husband gathered, police raided anumber of suspected brothels where Marita could have
(06:41):
been held the brothels in Lariocha wereknown as cabarets or whisker ears, but
inside their walls they held deep,dark secrets. They are now known as
places for the practice of prostitution,where there was the systematic recruitment of women,
including by means of depriving them oftheir liberty. Three whiskerriers were identified
(07:05):
in Lariocha, Candy, El Candelechhasor the Limelight, and El de Sapphio
or the Challenge. All of themwere identified as fronts for prostitution. A
woman freed from one of the whiskerriasduring the raid reported having seen Marita in
(07:26):
Candy. She gave a physical description, dyed hair and blue contact lenses.
This woman told authorities that sadly,Marita had been removed from the whiskerrias shortly
before the police raid. The searchwas given another lead when the alleged madam
of Candy, Lydia Medina, washeard to say, those fools are looking
(07:48):
for her and she's in Spain.Lydia Medina, her son, and his
wife were all arrested for unlawful deprivationof liberty and aggravated promotion of prostitution.
Other branches of the investigation incriminated DaniellaMilhane from Tucuman, who allegedly had intended
(08:09):
to transport Marita to Rio Glejos.She was detained along with her husband and
a Lariocha province official who was transportingwomen. Based on the tip, Susanna
Tremarco knocked on the door of theSpanish embassy in Buenos Aires and even had
the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis RodriguezZapetero issue an invitation to come to Madrid.
(08:35):
Unfortunately, when Susanna arrived, noone was able to provide any clues
as to Merita's whereabouts. In Februarytwo thousand and twelve, seven men and
six women were charged with kidnapping MaritaViron and promoting prostitution. The trial took
(08:56):
place in the city of San Miguelde Tucuman. The trial went on for
a staggering three months as more thanone hundred and thirty witnesses took the stand
to give evidence, including a dozenwomen who had been rescued from the brothels
by Susanna Tremarco. During the trial, Susanna Tremarco herself also gave evidence She
(09:18):
described in detail the story of herten years search for her daughter. In
the court room, she stood strong, confronting the defendants, politicians, and
police as she explained how she investigatedthe harrowing business of human trafficking with the
sole aim of finding her daughter.Whilst giving evidence, Susanna talked about her
(09:41):
family, her husband Daniel Varon,who had passed away two years before.
She also talked about their children,Horace and Marita. She described what happened
the day that Marita disappeared. Shesuspected that a nurse who lived in the
same neighborhood as Marita, Patricia Siria, may have had some involvement. Quote.
(10:03):
Marita wanted to get an IUD andinsisted that Marita go to Maternidad,
the maternity center. I did notlike this woman at all, since she
asked Marita so many details of herprivate life and of her family, she
stated. Susannah testified against Miguel Ardiles, a supposed employee of Maternidad, who
(10:26):
helped Marita get an appointment. Quote. They called her at three to give
her the appointment, and they askedher to bring her document. This document
was her identity card. The DOCUMENTONacional Deidentidad, which is required for hospital
admissions, to carry out banking procedures, and as travel documentation. Susannah remarked
(10:48):
that this seemed unusual to her.Before we get any further into the story,
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the wall. This cult has everything, magic rituals, child sacrifice, cloaks,
(11:39):
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(12:00):
you listen to podcasts. When thecourt resumed after a recess, Susannah spoke
of the search for her daughter.She spared no words against the former governor
Julio Miranda and officials of his cabinet. Quote, like a stupid person,
I went to the Governor's mansion.I say stupid because the mafia was there.
(12:24):
She spoke of Reuben Lachanca or thepig Ale. Susanna alleged he was
head of the Holigan group associated withthe San Martin soccer club. She believed
that this man was chiefly responsible forher daughter's disappearance. Now, it should
be noted that Reuben Ale did notstand trial in this case, but after
(12:46):
a money laundering scheme was uncovered aspart of Susannah's investigation, Reuben Ale,
his X and three others were arrestedin connection with the scheme. Going back
to the trial, then, Susannawent on to explain that La Chanca Ale
and the mafia handled all the drugsand prostitution in the province. Quote,
(13:09):
I don't know why the people ofTucuman don't stand up to them. I'm
going to stand up to them.Short and small as I am, I'm
going to defend my daughter. Susannatold the court that a woman had told
her what happened to her daughter.The woman gave details of where she had
been captive and that she was abductedfor sexual exploitation in Lariocha. I could
(13:33):
not believe these things existed, Susannatold the court. She went on to
explain that when she arrived at abrothel in Lariocha, she did not find
Marita, but she did find anothergirl I think it's pronounced a Nachi,
who ran into her arms and beggedSusanna to rescue her. A Nachi told
(13:56):
Susanna that she had seen her daughterthe previous week and related the ordeal she
had lived through. Susannah told thecourt quote, Unfortunately, I became a
specialist in this crime because I touchedit, I lived it, and I
searched for my daughter. I'll nevergive up the search. Whoever falls falls
(14:18):
My mission is my daughter. Ido not want to close my eyes before
finding out about her. There aremany missing girls who we are helping,
but I care about my daughter,Tremarco said firmly. On the eleventh of
December two thousand and twelve, aftera long emotional trial, a three judge
(14:39):
to command Provincial court cleared all thirteenof the defendants of all the charges,
saying quote, there were no elementsto prove the kidnapping of Merita. The
versions are about just such. Ittook ten years, the dossier has fifty
(15:00):
five bodies, and still it waspoorly investigated. No evidence was obtained that
could prove she was kidnapped to forceher into prostitution. People in the courtroom
sobbed and shouted after the verdict wasannounced, and attorneys representing Susanna Tremaco accused
(15:20):
the three judges of corruption. Aweek after the verdict, Susanna met with
Argentina's president and impeachment proceedings were startedagainst the three judges in the trial.
The President of Argentina, Christina Fernandezde Kirchner, wanted to use the acquittals
(15:41):
as a reason to push forward areform to democratize justice, but the bill
would later be declared unconstitutional by theSupreme Court. The following day after the
verdict, angry demonstrators in Argentina clashedwith police. They were distraught at the
equi tools of the thirteen defendants accusedof kidnapping Marita and forcing her into prostitution
(16:04):
ten years prior in the capital BuenosAires protests turned violent. Anonymous people published
the personal data addresses, telephone andbank statements of the judges who had presided
over the Verrong case. The anonymousgroup also hacked the government web pages.
(16:26):
The judges stood by their verdict,with Chief Judge Alberto Piedra Buena saying quote,
we could not establish what really happened, but it was not a case
of people trafficking. President Christina Fernandeztold reporters that when she had the verdict,
she telephoned Susanna Tremarco to offer hersupport, saying quote, I thought
(16:51):
I would find her destroyed, butI found her more together than ever,
more committed to keep fighting. Itold her, Susannah, you can always
count on me, and she toldme, President, don't worry, I'm
going to keep fighting. Famous figuressuch as Michelle Obama presented their respect and
(17:11):
support to Susannah Tremaco for her unrelentingwork against human trafficking. A year later,
in November twenty and thirteen, therewere a number of raids on brothels
in and around Buenos Aires. Almostone hundred women forced into prostitution were rescued.
(17:32):
The women had been trafficked from Paraguayand Peru. The fifty seven raids
took place over two weeks and ledto the arrests of twenty five people.
The trafficking of young women was clearlystill a huge concern in Argentina, with
thirty establishments portraying themselves as bars asthey operated as undercover brothels. These places
(17:56):
subsequently had their licenses revoked. Fakedocuments and drugs were also seized during the
course of the raids, with theBuenos Aires city Justice Minister telling reporters that
these raids were combating several crimes.He also indicated that some officials themselves were
(18:17):
being investigated. In December twenty thirteen, the Supreme Court of two Couman reviewed
the case and overturned the acquittals.When the case returned to court, ten
out of the thirteen suspects were convictedof the kidnapping and sexual exploitation of Marita
Varon. The court established that threelower ranking judges must be the ones to
(18:42):
establish the penalties for the ten guiltyparties. Susanna Tremerco's lawyers asked for sentences
ranging from twenty to twenty five yearsafter the convictions. Susanna said the following
quote. They are accomplices to thetrafficking. They kidnap women, tear them
(19:03):
from their families, sell them,and exploit them. I harbor the hope
that they will say something about mydaughter, but the justice system is not
looking for her. I am lookingfor her. I went to Spain on
a lead that suggested she had beensold there, but the attorney in Burgos
had neither her photograph nor her fingerprints. The court sentenced two brothers, Jose
(19:32):
and Gonzalo Gomez, to twenty twoyears in prison each. Seven other defendants
received sentences of at least ten years, and the tenth defendant was given fifteen
days house arrest. The judges saidfour of the defendants had conspired to hold
and conceal Marita for the exercise ofprostitution, while six more had participated in
(19:56):
her abduction and forced prostitution. Afterthe sentences had been handed down, Susanna
said the following quote, I neverfound Marita, but justice has been done.
I do not mean with this thatI'm not going to keep fighting.
We will continue until the day wewill know what they did with Marita.
(20:19):
I found Susanna Tremarco to be anincredible, incredible woman who took her daughter's
case into her own hands. Shecouldn't have known how many lives she would
touch when she started searching for Marita. She has been unrelenting in her passion
to combat human trafficking. In twothousand and seven, she created a foundation
(20:42):
in her daughter's name to help thevictims of sex slavery and to continue to
draw attention to the court's lack ofinterest. The foundation boasts having achieved the
release of hundreds of people. Thesame year, Susanna was given the first
US Secretary of State International Women ofCourage Award for her efforts against human trafficking.
(21:07):
In two thousand and seven, Argentinapassed a law that makes the abduction
and sexual exploitation of persons a federaloffense. The law also established a Rescue
Office in the Ministry of Justice andHuman Rights to oversee the prevention and investigation
of human trafficking crimes and to providelegal assistance to victims. In two thousand
(21:30):
and eight, Susanna's work led toArgentinian legislation that prohibited human trafficking. In
two thousand and eleven, President ChristinaFernandez de Kirchner enacted Rubro fifty nine,
which banned the advertisement of sexual servicesin newspapers and magazines. For the first
time, the Ministry of Security wasable to uncover that police forces were actually
(21:55):
implicated in the trafficking rings. TheArgentinian National Senate honored Susanna with the Premio
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento for her work inthe promotion of human rights, and in
March two thousand and twelve, theCanadian government honored Susannah with the John Diefenbaker
Defender of Human Rights and Freedom Award. If all of this wasn't enough,
(22:19):
Susannah was nominated for the twenty andthirteen Nobel Peace Prize. Before we end
this episode, I want to talkabout a twenty twenty Trafficking in Persons Report
for Argentina, which I will linkin the show notes. The Trafficking in
Persons Report is the United States government'sprincipal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on
(22:45):
human trafficking. Each country is rankedin its efforts to comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking.The tier system falls into three tiers.
Tiers one, two, three anda Tier two watch list. According to
this report, Argentina fully meets theminimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
(23:07):
The government continues to demonstrate serious andsustained efforts, and therefore Argentina remains on
Tier one. Efforts included passing anew law to mandate and fund victim restitution
in criminal cases and the expanding ofa trafficking investigations database to include provincial data.
(23:30):
As good as this all sounds,and it does sound good, it
is good. The report states thatArgentina investigated, prosecuted, and convicted fewer
traffickers in twenty twenty than in twentynineteen. The government convicted fifty three traffickers
in twenty nine cases, twenty threecases for sex trafficking and for for labor
(23:52):
trafficking, compared with seventy one traffickersin forty eight cases thirty for sex trafficking
and eighteen for labor trafficking in twoand eighteen, and thirty eight traffickers in
thirty two cases in twenty and seventeen. Official complicity in trafficking crimes is still
a concern, including those involved inthe witness protection program serving the victims Although
(24:17):
prosecutors opened at least four new traffickingcases involving current or former public officials,
the government didn't report any convictions.Courts in Buenos Aires convicted two public officials
accused of trafficking as accessories. Theseincluded a former police chief accused of exploiting
(24:37):
transgender women in sex trafficking at brothelsand a first sergeant accused of sex trafficking.
In another case, seven accused traffickersbenefited from police protection and political connections
in the management of two Buenos Airesbrothels. Another case was brought against two
public officials connect to the commercial sexualexploitation of victims in private residences. Here
(25:06):
are some other issues. The governmentdidn't allocate a dedicated budget to anti trafficking
efforts, they haven't provided dedicated housingfor male victims, and the National Anti
Trafficking Law considered force, fraud orcoercion to be aggravating factors rather than essential
elements of the crime. There arethirteen recommendations. I'm not going to go
(25:27):
through all of them, but theseinclude strengthening efforts to investigate, prosecute and
convict traffickers, documenting and addressing officialcomplicity in trafficking through prosecution and conviction,
to restructure the Witness Protection program toprevent abuse by agents and encompass trafficking victims'
(25:48):
needs, and to improve victim assistanceto include more specialized shelters and dedicated shelters
for male victims. I'd like toend by reminding you that, spite Susanna
Tremaco's monumental efforts, her daughter MaritaVaron, like so many others, is
still missing, and like so manyothers, deserves to come home. Here
(26:14):
is a quote from Susannah. Thejustice is not doing what it has to
do. It's not possible for mydaughter to remain missing like this. I
want her back, no matter whatcondition she is in. And that's the
end of today's episode. Thank youso much for joining me today. The
Student's Verdict is a biweekly podcast,so follow us on social media to hear
(26:37):
about our next episode. The Student'sVerdict can be found anywhere you listen to
podcasts, including Spreaker, YouTube andiHeartRadio. See you on the next one,
and remember to keep living the dream.
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