Sex slavery verdict deals a blow to Argentina’s fight against forced prostitution

.PHOTO Susana Trimarco, second from right, and her granddaughter Micaela, right, lead a march towards the courthouse on the first day of trial for the alleged kidnappers of her daughter Marita Veron, in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina in this file photo from February 2012

Emily Schmall and Michael Warren 
The Associated Press 

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA—The acquittal of 13 people charged in a high-profile sex-slavery case has created outrage across Argentina, with street protests and demands for impeachment of the three judges who ruled on the case.

The defendants were accused of kidnapping a young mother who disappeared in 2002 and was allegedly forced to work as a prostitute for “VIP clients” in provincial brothels.

Many called it a setback for Argentina’s efforts to combat sex trafficking, which began after the victim’s mother launched a one-woman quest to find her missing daughter.