Woman freed after over a year of imprisonment in a garage in Alicante

The Algerian victim was forced to do housework and held in sub-human conditions

Guardia Civil officers in Alicante have freed an Algerian woman after she was imprisoned for over a year in a garage at a home located in Agost, inland from the city of Alicante. The victim was tricked into coming to Spain after being promised a job, and instead found herself imprisoned and forced to do housework.

A married Algerian couple, who have since been arrested, promised the woman a work contract that would allow her to obtain residency in Spain, but when she arrived they took her passport and made her work without pay, while living in sub-human conditions. The garage she was held in had no ventilation and was full of electrical wires, and when she was found by the police, the victim was severely malnourished.

Investigation “Zenata” was launched after a citizen went to the police to report that a woman was being held against her will: it seems that the victim managed to communicate with a family member online, and after she explained what was happening the relative was able to take steps to rescue the woman.

The Algerian woman was forced to work 7 days a week with no rest and no pay for over a year. When rescued, she revealed that she had fainted several times due to malnourishment, but she was refused medical help by the couple. Since her imprisonment she had lost over 20 kilos.

The culprits are an Algerian couple, aged 50 and 44, who normally reside part-time in the country, but due to Covid they have remained in Spain for the past year. They have been charged with human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation, unlawful imprisonment and crimes against the human rights of foreign citizens. The couple has been released on probation.

The victim has been put in contact with a non-profit organization for victims of human trafficking and is currently residing in a safe house while she recovers from the ordeal.