Story at HuffPost regarding Operation " Cross Country "
This FBI operation is an excellent start and while I am very happy for these rescued victims, much more needs to be done across the Country.
From what I have read, this sting was one of a Government operation called "Innocence Lost" focused on putting a crimp in the sex trafficking business, with the emphasis on saving children, teens and young adults who are tragically the bread and butter of these particular sex crimes.
Many of these victims are thrust into the nightmare of forced prostitution via coercion from pimps who might first play the concerned adult friend to a naive runaway.
These "pimps" are often white, as you can see in the arrest photos attached to the link. The pimps may work alone, but many are part of larger criminal organizations that ultimately make millions from the exploitation, pain and misery of runaways and kidnapped children and teenagers.
Let's hope that this project is only the beginning of a long overdue Government assault on the atrocity of "sex trafficking."
As is often the case, the term "sex trafficking" itself is far too benign for what these crimes truly are, and what they involve on a day to day basis. This is organized purposeful rape often of our nations most vulnerable youth - huge sums of money being made from brainwashing beating torture and
The Government the media and even society has a way of using words that cleanse and make more palatable certain violent crimes, dehumanizing them in the process which serves to invalidate the pain and suffering that the victims of these crimes endure often for years.
In some cases, this niceified nomenclature is done unwittingly ( ie without malicious purpose) but nonetheless, it contributes to an overall perception that ultimately robs these crimes of their actual grotesque nature. Secondarily, this whitewashed terminology plays down the evil and callousness committed by the perpetrators.
In the meantime, as individuals and communities, we would do well to understand that raids such as "Operation Cross Country" need to be organized and executed as steadfastly as the sex trafficking industry grows.
As individuals and communities we must aggressively support ongoing projects such as " Operation Cross Country." This was a herculean effort by the FBI and participating law enforcement agencies:
The Operation saved one hundred lives -almost all of them very young lives - Lives, otherwise doomed to a hellish existence.
In order to gain some insight click on the Huff Post Link above and watch the posted videos included in their piece. This should help the average person comprehend the common question "why didn't the teenagers/ children simply run away" ie from their pimps, the forced prostitution etc
The article also helps opens eyes to the emotional and physical scars that these crimes leave upon their victims. No matter how much time passes there is a shame that accompanies being victimized by crimes like these.
Just like any other victim of violent crime, these victims are going to need a great deal of therapeutic assistance and support from their families and their communities in order to heal and re-integrate into society. This is where Social services is usually not enough and the Private Sector needs to stand up and step in.
These are our children. they are being victimized by the hundreds of thousands and they will need a lot of help to recover from the crimes besot upon them.
This is made more complicated by the fact that many of these victims were children or teens originally running away from physical and/or sexual abuse at home. This is not to say that every runaway was abused; certainly a smaller portion ran away over more standard adolescent/parental discord. However social service agencies and other peripheral agencies need to be extremely cautious in not sending a at risk teenage or the now young adult victim of sex crimes back into an abusive environment - or even under the influence of a familial would be predator/abuser.
The terrible reality is that forced prostitution and sex trafficking is a booming illegal business in this Country and many others.. Sickeningly, the sexual demand for children and young teens never abates - it is a constant. We have actresses actors and other such stars walking carpets for breast cancer Aids and a myriad of other worthy causes, lets give equal time to this rapidly growing horror show.
