She said the young girls who fall prey to that type of activity don’t know they are victims of traps set by people whose only purpose is to exploit them sexually, and warned the parents to assume their responsibility and watch over their daughters.

The official said in several areas along Mirador del Yaque avenue girls in the ages between 10 and 17 have been observed spending the night in the area and, according to the authorities, are addicted to some controlled substances.

Beato said since some of the girls sleep on cardboard boxes on the riverbank, where they are stalked by mostly alcoholics or drug addicts, the Police has conducted sweeps to detain those who exploit them, though the minors often run and hide in the woods.

She also revealed that many of the girls have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases caught in the street, outside parental control and at the mercy of the “unscrupulous.”