The FBI, with the help of state and local partners, located missing children and victims of child sex trafficking during a nationwide campaign.
During two weeks in August, the FBI says they identified and located 84 minor victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses and located 37 actively missing children. This was during a nationwide enforcement campaign, dubbed “Operation Cross Country.”
“The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to combat the insidious crimes of human trafficking that devastate survivors and their families,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the FBI and our law enforcement partners across the country for their tireless work to rescue trafficking survivors, including exploited children, to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of trafficking crimes, and to provide the services and support that survivors need and deserve.”
In addition to finding the child victims, the FBI and its partners located 141 adult victims of human trafficking. They also identified or arrested 85 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges. The average age of victims located in similar operations is about 15.5 years old, while the youngest victim discovered during this operation was 11 years old.
“The success of Operation Cross County reinforces what NCMEC sees every day. Children are being bought and sold for sex in communities across the country by traffickers, gangs and even family members,” said Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO National Center for Missing & Exploited Children “We’re proud to support the FBI’s efforts to prioritize the safety of children. This national operation highlights the need for all child serving professionals to continue to focus on the wellbeing of children and youth to prevent them being targeted in the first place.”
Hidden in Plain Sight: Survivors share stories to help combat human trafficking in Hampton Roads
