(June 25, 2008)--Hundreds of people have been arrested and 21 children rescued in what the FBI is calling a five-day roundup of networks of pimps who force children into prostitution.
The Justice Department says it targeted 16 cities including Houston and Dallas as part of its "Operation Cross Country," which caps off five years of similar stings nationwide.
Many of the children forced into prostitution are either runaways or what authorities call "throwaways,” kids whose families have shunned them.
Officials organized networks of pimps lure them in with shelter or drugs, and then often beat, starve or otherwise abuse them until the children agree to work the streets.
The arrests are part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost Initiative, which started five years ago and has led to the rescue of more than 400 children.
“Our top priority in these cases has always been to identify child victims and move swiftly to remove them from these dangerous environments,” said FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III.
“Unfortunately though, our workload will not slow down after today, as there will be more victims and more criminals who profit by selling our children. We must continue to pursue those who exploit our nation's children,” he said.
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