Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, for its acronym in English) rescued 225 people, 84 minors and 141 adults, in a national operation against human sex trafficking that involved more than 200 federal, state and local agencies from all over the world. United States during the first two weeks of August, the agency reported.
The joint action, named “Operation Cross Country”, also served to locate 37 missing children and identify or arrest 85 traffickers or people linked to crimes of this type, specified the FBIwhich led 391 operations throughout the country.
The youngest victim was an 11-year-old boy, the FBI reported.
This year, the FBI expanded the scope for federal charges to eligible sex offenders and predators who contact minors over the Internet to sexually abuse them.
“This initiative takes place during a specific period of time where we only focus on the problem of sexual trafficking of minors,” explained Section Chief José Pérez, in charge of investigating violent crimes at the FBI.
FBI Director Christopher Wray noted that human trafficking ranks among “the most horrendous crimes.”
“Unfortunately, these crimes – against minors and adults alike – are more common than is believed,” he said.
According to Wray, the intention of the FBI is to continue working with the rest of the agencies to “find and arrest traffickers, identify and help victims, as well as raise awareness of the danger to which our most vulnerable sectors may be exposed.”
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