Federal officials arrest almost 700, including 60 pimps, in a three-day crackdown on child prostitution. The youngest victim was 10, authorities say. Two children are rescued in Riverside.
Oct 26, 2009
Reporting from Washington - Federal officials rescued 52 children and arrested nearly 700 people over the past three days in a nationwide crackdown on child prostitution.
Almost 1,600 agents and officers took part in the raids, which followed investigations in 36 cities, according to the FBI, local law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Included in the arrests were 60 pimps, according to the FBI and local police officials.
Authorities say the youngest victim was 10 years old.
In the Los Angeles area, two children were rescued in Riverside and four adults were arrested, said Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI. Four alleged customers of child prostitutes were arrested in Orange County.
"It is repugnant that children in these times could be subjected to the great pain, suffering, and indignity of being forced into sexual slavery for someone else's profit," Asst. Atty. Gen. Lanny A. Breuer said in a statement. He added that the latest raids show that "the scourge of child prostitution still exists on the streets of our cities."
The sweep, dubbed Operation Cross Country, is part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, started in 2003 to address child sex trafficking in the U.S.
To date, the initiative has rescued nearly 900 children, led to the conviction of 510 pimps, madams and their associates, and seized $3.1 million in assets, according to the FBI.
"We're having an enormous impact on this business," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Most of the children recovered through the project have been girls, who usually become victims of traffickers around the age of 12, Allen said.
He estimated that 100,000 children are still involved in sex trafficking in the U.S., adding that the problem is growing partly because of the recession.
Thanks for posting! One of the points I took away here was that all but one of the victims were girls. It's not that I doubt boys have been pulled into this sort of thing as well, but the incidence and demand must be a lot lower.
Sometimes, after reading so much about the Franklin case, this point seems to get overshadowed.
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