LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A week-long statewide crackdown on human trafficking resulted in more than 600 arrests and the rescue of 170 people, including children as young as 13, according to the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the final week of January brought together local, state and federal agencies for “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild,” an effort targeting both the solicitors and providers involved in the trafficking of young girls and boys.
“Human trafficking and child exploitation are devastating crimes that target the most vulnerable amongst us,” Luna said.
Authorities said 156 adults and 14 children were rescued across California, with a large share of the operation concentrated in Los Angeles County, which investigators describe as a hotbed for human trafficking activity. Several weapons were also confiscated during the week-long sting.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department said the rescue of minors and adults marks only the beginning of a longer process.
“Survivors need care. They need time, they need a chance to rebuild their lives. And our partnerships with these organizations are what allows those individuals to reclaim their lives and rebuild their lives,” he said.
Service organizations are working with the task force to provide support ranging from emergency care to long-term recovery services — helping the victims start over and rebuild their lives. Sara Elander of Saving Innocence said collaboration among agencies and nonprofits is essential.
“Because together, we create something far greater than the sum of all of our parts. A unified and collective, collaborative response. To meet survivors just where they are, with just what they need,” she said.
Under current California law, human trafficking of a minor is a felony, while trafficking an adult is classified as a misdemeanor. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman urged lawmakers to strengthen existing statutes.
“So I would ask our state leaders who created the felony dealing with minors involved with human sex trafficking, to also go ahead and make it all of human and sex trafficking is a violent and serious offense,” he said.
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