A Vietnamese father from the province of Nghệ An was sentenced to 14 years in prison for selling his daughter to human traffickers.
Lo Pho Pheng, 47, sold his 13-year-old biological daughter to a man in China for over 150 million Vietnamese dong (approximately $6,550) when he lacked the money to pay for medical treatment for a heart condition.
Pheng met with Lo Thi Cam, 35, in 2018 to propose selling his daughter, who referred him to Moon Thi Xum, 46.
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Pheng was able to receive 100 million VND (approximately $4,367). Xum also received 7 million VND (approximately $306), and Cam received 13 million VND (approximately $568).
Pheng’s daughter was able to escape back to Vietnam in October 2021 when she filed a denunciation of the crime to the Investigation Police Agency in the Kỳ Sơn District Police.
In the courtroom, the defendants pleaded guilty to their crimes. Pheng said that he “did not think straight” because of his lack of knowledge and poverty-stricken situation.
Xum was sentenced to 13 years in prison, while Cam was sentenced to 12 years. Although the victim requested a lenient sentence for her father, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for “trafficking of a person under 16.”
Featured Image via Saad Chaudhry
