One hundred and sixty-eight child prostitutes were identified and 281 promoters were arrested last week in the United States in a major FBI operation carried out in nearly a hundred cities, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
"Every child deserves to be safe. With measures like this nationwide operation, we can end the cycle of deception," said FBI Director James Comey.
"Those who traffic children into prostitution create a permanent nightmare for these victims as they grow into adolescence," said Leslie Caldwell, deputy attorney general. "This operation puts these traffickers behind bars and saves children from this nightmare so they can begin to live their childhoods," she said.
The operation, which began in 2003 as part of the National Initiative for Lost Innocence, is now in its third phase. In total, about 3,600 children who "walked the sidewalk" on U.S. streets have been found and 1,450 people have been sentenced to heavy sentences, including 14 who have been sentenced to life in prison, while more than $3.1 million has been seized, according to the announcement.
Last week, the largest number of arrests and victims identified were recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, in the southern United States, Cleveland, Ohio (north), Los Angeles and Sacramento, California.
Child trafficking cases are generally detected by law enforcement agencies who prioritize their operations at truck stops, casinos, sidewalks or dating websites offering “escorts.”
Source: planet-greece.blogspot.com
