The five men are aged between 21 to 23 years old, and have been named as Lucas Pitman, Roberto Costa, Emanuel Díaz, Tomás Jaime and Juan Cruz Villalba. They stand accused of aggravated sexual abuse with sexual intercourse, which could lead to a sentence of between eight and 20 years in prison.
Clarin reported that the tragedy began during the evening of January 31, when the mother of the young girl couldn’t find her daughter and began to search the campsite. She discovered the 14-year-old in a tent surrounded by the five men, all of them under the influence of alcohol. She rescued her child and the father called the police, preventing the five men from escaping before the arrival of the authorities.
La Nacion affirmed that provisional medical examinations suggest that the young girl was raped, although the minor will have to be interviewed by a psychologist before she is able to give a statement to the police.
Lawyer Florencia Salas, who has been placed in charge of the case, assured the paper that the girl is getting all the psychological and medical attention she needs, but refused to give more information as the victim is a minor.
All those involved in the case are from Mar del Plata, a city 40km from the the campsite where the events occurred.
This event comes in the context of a huge wave of sexual abuse allegations in what has been hailed as Argentina’s #MeToo movement, where women have spoken up a patriarchal system that facilitates impunity surrounded sexual abuse.
