Heartbroken 13 year old daughter sold to China by father
(Baonghean.vn) - Lo Pho Pheng confessed that because he needed money for his own medical treatment, he sold his 13-year-old daughter to China. After 3 years of being sold abroad, the girl escaped back to her country, which was also when her father's human trafficking was exposed.
On April 14, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial of three defendants: Lo Pho Pheng (born 1975), residing in Bao Nam commune, Ky Son district; Moong Thi Xum (born 1976), Lo Thi Cam (born 1987), both residing in Huu Kiem commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of "Human traffickingunder 16 years old”.
The victim in the case is Lo Thi May Ch. (born 2005) - Pheng's daughter and Cam's niece.
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| Defendant Lo Pho Pheng. Photo: Tran Vu |
At the end of November 2018, Lo Pho Pheng met and asked Cam to find someone to take his daughter to China to sell to get money for his medical treatment. The next day, Cam met Xum to ask him to take his niece to sell.
Afterwards, Xum and a woman named Vu Hong (address unknown) took Ch. to China. Hong sold the girl to a Chinese man to marry for 50,000 yuan (equivalent to 150 million VND). Hong only gave Xum 120 million VND, and pocketed the rest.
The investigation agency determined that in this case, Lo Pho Pheng benefited 100 million VND, Moong Thi Xum benefited 7 million VND, and Lo Thi Cam benefited 13 million VND.
After a period of being a foreign wife, on October 1, 2021, Ch. escaped back to Vietnam and filed a complaint with the police. Based on the victim's complaint, the three suspects Pheng, Cam, and Xum were arrested. At the time Ch. was sold, she was only 13 years, 4 months, and 24 days old.
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| Defendants in court. Photo: Tran Vu |
At the trial, the defendants all admitted to their crimes. Defendant Pheng said that because of a long-term illness and need for money, he sold his daughter to China to get married. At the trial, the victim asked for a lighter sentence for her biological father.
The panel of judges determined that in this case, the defendant Pheng was the mastermind and initiator of the sale of his daughter, so he must bear primary responsibility. The three defendants had mitigating circumstances, such as their honest confessions, repentance, and the victim's petition for a reduction in their sentences.
After considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel sentenced defendant Lo Pho Pheng to 14 years in prison, Moong Thi Xum to 13 years in prison, and Lo Thi Cam to 12 years in prison, all for the crime of Trafficking in persons under 16 years of age.
