The FBI announced today that it had saved 105 child sex trafficking victims and arrested 150 pimps as part of Operation Cross Country, a three-day project designed to fight nationwide childhood prostitution. According to FBI Assistant Diretor Ronald Hosko, the youngest victim was 9-years-old.
According to an FBI press release, the project took place in 76 cities and is seventh-largest law enforcement initiative of its kind. “This operation serves as a reminder that these abhorrent crimes can happen anywhere and that the FBI remains committed to stopping this cycle of victimization and holding the criminals who profit from this exploitation accountable," Hosko said.
Furthermore, Operation Cross Country is a component of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Department of Justice, FBI and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This included 47 FBI divisions, over 3,900 members of local, state and federal law enforcement and agents from 230 agencies.
[via The Huffington Post]
