For most parents, their children’s school is a safe and secure place. For Lucia Perez’s parents however, it wasn’t as safe as they thought it would be.
She was taken outside of her school
Lucia, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, was taken by a drug gang outside of her school. She was eventually found dead outside a rehabilitation clinic where the staff thought she suffered a cocaine overdose.
She died from her terrible injuries wherein she was drugged, sexually abused, and then impaled on a spike by the drug gang. Her body was left in front of the clinic after members of the gang washed her and put her clothes back on in an attempt to cover up their horrific crime.
Subjected to brutal, inhuman, sexual abuse
According to Maria Isabel Sanchez, prosecutor, “The girl was impaled and this was the cause of her death. She had been subjected to brutal, inhumane sexual abuse.” She added: “She died because of the injuries she suffered from being impaled.”
The van used to abduct her was eventually found. It contained drugs, used condoms, sex toys, as well as ammunition.
It was then used to trace two of her abductors, Gabriel Farias, 23, and Juan Pablo Offidani, 41. The police are still looking for a third suspect to the brutal crime.
People are calling for justice
Countless protests throughout Argentina are calling for justice for Lucia’s death. A group of 50 are planning a one-hour sit-in to bring to light the high rate of female murders that happen in their country.
Photo from: Youtube.com/ AGENCIA EFE
After the sit-in, a rally will be held near the Justice Ministry Offices to bring all of these issues to light.
According to Florencia Abbate, “[The protest] intends to be a call to reflection for the entire population, so that each person evaluates his own practices and understands the need for a cultural change.”
Lucia’s father, Guillermo Perez adds, “We want life imprisonment, not just 10 or 15 years in prison and then they are able to walk free to do the same.”
How do I keep my family safe?
While not all abductions can be prevented, we should follow precautionary measures to ensure that our kids are safe. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Teach your child the “Velcro Technique”. If someone’s trying to abduct them, they should look for something to grab onto, and not let go. This could be a signpost, a gate, a tree, or anything stable that they can grab on to. They can even grab on to another adult that’s not involved in the abduction.
- They should yell as loud as they can. If someone’s trying to take them away, and it’s not a person they trust, they should yell as loud as they can. This catches attention and usually deters any potential abductions.
- Teach them the “Windmill Technique.” This is exactly how it sounds. If your child gets abducted, they should spin their arms in a big circle in order to prevent the abductor from grabbing them.
- They should make a lot of noise. Give your child a whistle so that they can use it to create a lot of noise. If they don’t have a whistle, they can bang on something that can make a loud noise. Making a commotion usually unnerves an attacker. They’d rather leave the child alone instead of having to deal with an unruly child.
Sources: mirror.co.uk, latintimes.com, thesun.co.uk, huffingtonpost.com
