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Judge Archives Case of Alleged Forced Marriage of 14-Year-Old

Catalan police plan to consult courts on possible sexual violence, exploitation or non-schooling during the girl's stay in Lleida.

Overview

  • The investigating judge in Tudela provisionally closed the case for lack of evidence, ordered the release of five detainees and authorized the girl's return to Navarra.
  • The minor told authorities she was not coerced and denied a sale, a marriage or being forced to beg, and investigators found no documents proving a transaction or a legally recognized union.
  • Police initially found the 14-year-old on October 3 begging outside a supermarket in Les Borges Blanques and placed her under the protection of the Generalitat.
  • The inquiry began after a report from local social services, with the Guardia Civil’s EMUME unit coordinating with the Mossos d’Esquadra to locate the girl and detain suspects in Navarra and Lleida.
  • Mossos investigators say they will discuss with judicial authorities whether to pursue separate probes into possible sexual offences, labor exploitation linked to mendicancy, and failure to ensure schooling.