They rescue 20 victims and arrest 144 people in a mega-operation against child abuse in South America

( Spanish) –– A mega operation against sexual offenders of minors allowed the rescue of 20 victims and the arrest of 144 people, Interpol reported on their website.

Security forces and investigators from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela participated in the operation, called Orion International, in coordination with the international organization.

According to the statement, “18 direct aggressors were arrested, 111 people were charged with possession and distribution of abuse content and seven people wanted internationally for sexual crimes against minors, who were the subject of notifications, were arrested. Interpol reds.

In Argentina, the operation allowed “the identification and safekeeping of a nine-year-old victim who had been suffering abuse for at least six years,” Interpol said. While in Chile a man was arrested for exchanging content of sexual exploitation of minors in several messaging groups. This arrest allowed the rescue of a 14-year-old girl.

The investigation was carried out between May and September 2024, based on initial information from the Metropolitan Cybercrime Investigative Brigade of Chile and the Public Ministry of the Province of Buenos Aires “in relation to ongoing investigations focused on the distribution to transnational scale of content of sexual abuse of minors through instant messaging applications.”

“This operation, as well as the terrible cases it revealed, remind us once again that the aggressors of minors come from all social classes. Thanks to this international initiative, minors who had known nothing but abuse throughout their lives have been brought to safety and their exploitation has been prevented from continuing,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock was quoted as saying. the police agency’s website.