America is finally seeing law enforcement taking big steps to expose and stop human trafficking. The criminal industry now profits over $150 billions dollars and is second only to drug trafficking. This makes selling humans more enticing to traffickers and organized crime. "If you really think about it; You can sell a kilo of Heroin once; You can sell a 13-year-old girl 20 times a night, 365 days a year.”
In Los Angeles, California, over 200 arrests were made on Monday. Twenty-one people were arrested for pimping/trafficking/pandering, and 177 people known as “johns” were arrested for soliciting sex from women and girls. Also, 77 vehicles were impounded that were used by johns. The target area of this sting was along Sepulveda and Lankershim boulevards in the San Fernando Valley. A spokesperson for the LAPD told reporters:
“Not only will we continue to target pimps very aggressively, we’ll target the johns and any pervert who comes to this community to try and find a prostitute.”
One resident who’s been disturbed by the activity for many years said that what is even harder to witness is the ages of the girls, which are younger and younger. Councilwoman Nury Martinez, who has budgeted a $1 million task force, says the arrests were part of a 10-month investigation. She adds, “It’s absolutely unacceptable” to have 13-year-old girls in this country, or any part of our city, trafficked for money.
"There has always been a prostitution problem in these areas, ever since I was a little girl," Martinez said. "Working with LAPD, we've been able to redirect our focus on the predators who buy and sell our women and girls, and we're proud to announce hundreds of arrests."
The Los Angeles Police Department/LAPD reports 11 victims were rescued including 13-year-old and 14-year-old girls. Many of the girls are “branded”—scarred with tattoos by their pimps to claim “ownership” of their victims. It’s beyond sick and disgusting.
On a positive note about this story and other stings around the country, is that the public is becoming more and more involved in reporting and pointing out whom they believe to be victims/pimps/johns. And they’re often right. The task force leader, LAPD Lt. Marc Evans says the lines of communication with the community have been successful and it “gives the officers in the unit a sense of accomplishment, renewed focus, and makes all the sacrifice and sleepless nights well worth it." He urges anyone with leads to contact the LAPD at 647TIPS@lapd.lacity.org.
In order to reduce/prevent/stop human trafficking, we first need to get it into our national discourse. The conversation begins with awareness. By sharing any stories/information about this issue on your personal social networks (Facebook, Twitter, email) you are helping to get the word out. There are telltale signs all around us. For additional information, visit The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), online which operates 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can also call call 1-888-373-788 or text BeFree (233733). If you suspect any kind of human trafficking, you can submit a tip to DHS or visit: ICE.gov.
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