Of the 33 children recovered during Operation Lost Angels, eight were sexually exploited at the time of their recovery, the FBI said. The operation began on 11 January.
Two children were found several times during the operation, the FBI said, noting that it is not uncommon for rescued victims to return to commercial sex trafficking “voluntarily or by force, fraud or coercion”.
“This damaging cycle highlights the challenges that victims face and those faced by law enforcement when trying to prevent victims from returning to an abusive situation. Victims may not identify themselves as dealers and may not realize that they are not human trafficking, “the FBI said. statement said.
Some of the other victims found during the operation have been sexually exploited in the past and are considered vulnerable missing children, the statement said.
One suspected human trafficker is facing charges of the operation and several other investigations have been opened, the FBI said.
Some of the rescued minor victims have been “arrested for probation, robbery or other offenses”, while one child is a victim of a non-supervisory abduction of parents, according to the statement.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the case “for crime related to sex and labor has increased significantly over the past few years,” the statement said.
“The FBI considers human trafficking to be modern-day slavery and the minors who engage in sexual trafficking are considered victims,” said Kristi Johnson, assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles field office. “While this operation has increased with great success over a limited period of time, the FBI and our partners are investigating sexual trafficking in children every day of the year and 24 hours a day.”
Police have joined the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and more than two dozen other law enforcement agencies along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the California Department of Child and Family Services, and advocacy organizations. victims, involved. according to the FBI.
The FBI is working with its partners to provide resources to the rescued children, including medical care and legal services.
“Human trafficking is a pervasive and insidious crime that threatens the safety of our young people, which is the future of our communities,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. “We can only begin to take back the future of our youth with the strong partnerships forged between outstanding service providers and law enforcement.”
CNN’s Carma Hassan and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.