Three members of a Roma family from the city of Campobasso, southern Italy, have been arrested on charges of keeping a young Bulgarian woman in slavery, local media reported, citing the police.

The 28-year-old Bulgarian, who has been identified as Maria, was forced to work from before dawn until after midnight cooking, cleaning and obeying each and every order of her Gypsy masters, the Rome-based Il Tempo newspaper reported.

Since September last year she has been kept in isolation at a house in Santa Croce, a municipality of about 5000 inhabitants in the province of Campobasso, where she was sold to the local Roma family by a Bulgarian man for EUR 2000.

The family, which consists of 57-year Rozaria Kazamonika, her 27-year-old son Luigi Di Silvio and 23-year-old daughter Stefania Di Silvio, forced the Bulgarian woman to do the dirtiest house chores. She was sexually abused by the man, who wanted her to give birth to a son.

The woman made several attempts to turn for help to the residents of Santa Croce but lack of knowledge of Italian language hampered her contacts with them.

A Bulgarian friend of hers felt something was wrong after talking to her on the phone. She contacted the municipality and the Criminal Police, who coordinate their actions to free the enslaved woman.

Maria was lured into Italy by a Bulgarian man, who promised her a good job and life there only to force her into prostitution and sell her as a commodity. He has been declared for international search by the police.

The Roma family has been charged with abuse and involuntary servitude.

Maria has turned down the offer of the Italian authorities to be accommodated at a specialized institution. She has said all she wants is come back home, in Bulgaria.

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