52 children were rescued during a prostitution raid around the country and two of the children that were found were from San Diego. The three-day national enforcement action included 36 cities across 30 FBI divisions, including San Diego.
"Child prostitution continues to e a significant problem in our country, as evidenced by the number of children rescued through the continued efforts of our crimes against children task forces," said Kevin Perkins, Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division.
The youngest child, rescued on Monday, was 10-years-old. Her mother was prostituting her to migrant workers.
The raids called Operation Cross County involved about 1600 police who were targeting truck stops, casinos, streets and internet web sites.
In 2003, the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, in partnership with the Department of Justice's CEOS and NCMEC, formed the Innocence Lost National Initiative, to address the growing problem of child prostitution. To date, 900 children have been recovered from the streets and 510 convictions.
“Child trafficking for the purposes of prostitution is organized criminal activity using kids as commodities for sale or trade,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “These kids are victims. They lack the ability to walk away. This is 21st century slavery. We are proud to have worked hand-in-hand with the FBI and Justice Department in a partnership that is unprecedented, historic, and working.”
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