Girl enslaved for eight years in Bosnia

A now 19-year-old German girl was freed by police after being held captive for eight years by a Bosnian couple. Prosecutores say that the girl was beaten, starved, and isolated during her captivity. She also was not allowed to attend school, and there are allegations of sexual abuse. When she was found in a forest near the town of Kalesija in mid-May, she weighed only 88 pounds.

Police spokesman Admir Arnautovic said the couple, Milenko Marinkovic, 52, and his wife Slavojka, 45, “…subjected [the girl] to inhumane treatment and torture.” Milenko Marinkovic was once married to the girl’s mother, who is German. However, he is not the girl’s father, and local media are reporting that the girl’s mother, identified as Kristina, married him to help him get a German residence permit. The girl’s mother lives near where the girl was being held captive, and is being questioned regarding her role.

The girl was saved thanks to the persistence of one of the couple’s neighbors, Sead Makalic. Makalic says that he saw the couple harness the girl to a cart they were riding in and whip her while she pulled them. He also claims that she she was forced to eat pig feed. Makalic called the police about the girl previously, but the couple managed to hide the girl from authorities. He did not see again for a year. When he spotted her again this month, he took a picture of her with his cell phone and called the police again. ”I could not watch them beat and starve her any more,” he said.

Sources: BBC News, Deutsche Welle, The Huffington Post, Al Jazeera