Venezuelan ‘sex ring’ victims still being treated

The 19 Venezuelan girls who were rescued by police from an alleged sex ring last Wednesday continue to receive treatment, both medical and psychological, as police investigate how they entered the country and how they were found.

National Security Minister, Stuart Young updated reporters during a press conference held at the Nat Sec Building on Abercromby Street yesterday.

Young yesterday thanked the Minister of Social Development Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn for her assistance with the girls, saying that she stationed even more social workers at a safe house where the 19 girls are being kept.

Young said investigators are speaking with the girls, with the assistance of interpreters as they investigate the matter.

“We are hoping the information we get from there will help with further intelligence-driven operations,” Young said.

Young added that with the nation’s borders being heavily guarded by the Coast Guard, there has been a reduction in the influx of South Americans entering the country illegally, but noted as things worsen in Venezuela, there is a possibility that there would be more illegal immigrants coming into the country. Young said there was a policy which is expected in Parliament to treat with the influx of South Americans.

“The Ministry of National Security has been mandated by the prime minister to develop a policy to the registration of Venezuelans and how we deal with them. We are currently formulating that policy, which should be in my view a registration of all Venezuelans so we have them in a system.

“You hear all sorts of numbers being batted about, but just looking at the immigration records is not going to be sufficient. So the first part of that policy is that we will deal with registration of Venezuelans that are here and we will take further decision after that,” Young said.

Last Wednesday the Special Operations Response Team (SORT), under Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, cracked down on a possible child sex ring, rescuing 19 girls between 15 and 17 from a house. Thirteen people were arrested in relation to the incident.

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