Six Tunisian migrants have been accused of kidnapping, raping, and subjecting a 32-year-old Belgian woman to sexual slavery for months in the city of Sanremo, along the Italian Riviera. Authorities in Italy are currently investigating the harrowing case.
The woman, who eventually was able to get away from her abductors, said that her captivity lasted between January and February of 2017. This report comes not long after four undocumented immigrants from Senegal, Nigeria, and Gambia were arrested in October of 2018 by Italian police for drugging, raping, and murdering Desiree Mariottini, a 16-year-old Italian girl, in the Italian capital of Rome.
Investigators have stated that the woman, who lives on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur), initially approached the alleged kidnappers after they offered to sell her drugs on the night of January the 10th. The Tunisian men, whose ages range from 23 to 50, then used the opportunity to force the woman back to one of their homes where they then tied her to a bed a repeatedly raped her.
At some point during the two months, the six men went from just taking turns raping the woman and began inviting others to the house to rape her in exchange for cash. A news outlet in Belgium reported that the horrifying ordeal abruptly ended when the captors released the woman after holding her as a prisoner for nearly two months.
The six suspects are now in the custody of Italian authorities and have been charged with kidnapping, sexual abuse, and aiding and abetting prostitution. The victim testified at a court hearing late last week.
The case made international headlines and had incited an intense public debate on migrant sex crimes which have become all too common since the European migrant crisis first began in 2015. Initial reports of this case sparked protests where thousands of Italians took to the streets to protest against the Mayor of Rome’s policies which mirror that of the EU’s open-door refugee policy. Well over two million migrants have arrived in Europe since the crisis began in 2015.
Over New Year’s, a similar case unfolded in Austria. Nine Iraqi asylum seekers were charged with the rape of a German woman in Vienna after one of them lured her to an apartment. After being raped by the nine men, she was, fortunately, able to escape the following day and informed German authorities.
About a week ago, Ali Bashar, a rejected asylum seeker from Iraq, was charged for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Susanna Maria Feldman. German authorities were forced to extradite Bashar from Iraq after he fled the country upon committing the heinous crimes.
Italy, with its vast Mediterranean coastline, has found itself on the front lines on the front lines of the European migrant crisis. Varying reports have suggested that over 600,000 migrants have penetrated its borders since 2015. Most have reached its shores by boat from Africa.
In 2018, Italy elected Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing populist League party, as their head of state. Since his election, he has taken a hardline approach to immigration and has repeatedly challenged the EU’s toxic immigration policy.
Immediately after assuming office, Salvini drew harsh criticism from EU technocrats after he closed all Italian ports to NGO ships who attempt to bring in rescued migrants at sea. He also suspended the asylum process for individuals considered to be ‘socially dangerous.’
Europe desperately needs more leaders like Salvini who refuse to put the needs of foreign migrants ahead of the safety and security of European people.
