An indigenous man in Aguascalientes has been ordered into preventative custody after being arrested for forcing his children to juggle, perform acrobatic tricks, sell seeds and beg for money on the street.

The Mixtec man identified as Galindo allegedly compelled his children — aged 9, 12 and 15 — to collect at least 350 pesos (US $14.50) per day and beat them with various objects when they failed to do so. The abuse was carried out in the family home.

The identities of the minors have been withheld in order to protect their safety, but evidence against Galindo provided by a special women’s investigative unit in the state justice department reveals that at least one must be female.

The evidence shows that he forced them to collect money for him in this way from the end of 2018 to March 2020.

Authorities became aware of the situation when agents from the state Attorney General’s Office saw the two older children performing acrobatic tricks at an intersection in the city. They immediately initiated a process to rescue the minors and opened a child abuse investigation into the matter.

Galindo now faces charges of human trafficking and domestic violence. The judge ordered 3 1/2 months of preventative custody in the Cereso state penitentiary just outside Aguascalientes for the duration of the preliminary investigation.

Source: El Universal (sp)