A pair of foster parents in Moldova have been charged with allegedly forcing their 14-year-old adopted daughter to beg in CIS and European Union countries by placing her in a wheelchair, despite her being able to walk independently.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), the girl was allegedly illegally adopted in Nisporeni in 2012, local media outlet Rupor.md reported.
Prosecutors say the child was taken abroad in a wheelchair and forced to beg instead of attending school.
With the support of the Fulger special forces unit, law enforcement officers carried out searches at the foster parents’ home. Investigators seized a wheelchair and other items believed to be evidence of the child’s exploitation.
Charges have been brought against both foster parents, as well as a doctor suspected of participating in the girl’s alleged illegal adoption in 2012.
The child has been placed in a temporary care center in Moldova, where she is receiving the necessary assistance.
The criminal investigation, launched in January, is being conducted jointly with law enforcement authorities in Timisoara and with the support of the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC).
Under Moldovan law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court ruling.