Is Joran Van Der Sloot Trafficking Women?

A reader from the Netherlands tipped us to a story that is, as she puts it, "all over Dutch news at the moment." Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, an Alabama teenager who disappeared while vacationing in Aruba in 2005, has now apparently been caught on film engaging in a sex-trafficking operation involving women in Thailand and the Netherlands.

Peter de Vries, the investigative reporter responsible for last year's tapes of van der Sloot admitting to a "friend" that he knew exactly how Natalee died and what had happened to her body (statements he later denied, insisting he was only telling his friend "what he wanted to hear") is premiering a second video tonight, and this time, van der Sloot is shown in a Dutch hotel room, explaining "how he supplies girls for 10,000 euros each, who work for 300 dollars a month in Dutch brothels," van der Sloot apparently thought he was discussing his business with a "Dutch Sex Entrepreneur," who was, in actuality, working for de Vries.

Which brings us to this question: if this is true, how the hell does Joran van der Sloot keep getting away with shit like this? I know his father is a powerful judge, and I know the family is quite well off, financially, but the fact that van der Sloot continues to be caught in these incredibly shady situations, making confessions on camera and being taped while performing illegal activities in hotel rooms and still walks about freely, says a lot more about society itself than it does about the sociopathic tendencies of van der Sloot.

de Vries is airing this evidence on television, seemingly to let the public be the judge. Where do we draw the line with this case? Where do we finally say, "Hey, this tape needs to be Exhibit A in court, not a ratings booster on a Sunday night?" Or is de Vries' desire to air his tapes a result of worldwide frustration with this young man, that the authorities seem to let him slip out of their hands too often, and that only by public outrage will anything be done? And if so, as guilty as we may think van der Sloot is, is this a modern witchhunt, or is it a public service?

Millions of people go missing each year; we know why Natalee's disappearance gained more attention than others. But if these tapes are true, then it's not just Natalee's life who was affected in some way by this man, it's the lives of many, many other women, which is genuine cause for concern. Though we may never know what happened in Aruba, if nothing else, perhaps the airing of these tapes will save other women, before it's too late.

Holloway Suspect Now Caught Women-Trafficking By Undercover Reporter [NIS]
Meet the Man Who Got Van Der Sloot to Talk About Holloway's Disappearance [ABC News]

Send an email to Hortense, the author of this post, at commenters@jezebel.com.

publish on Facebook

Upload an image | Add an image URL ×

Image URL: ×

Youtube URL: ×

Choose a file to upload:

×

Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Loading comments ...

Earlier discussions | Other discussions | Show all discussions | Show featured discussions only | Expand all replies Hide all replies
Start a new discussion