10 Children Rescued From Sex Trafficking Operations In Law Enforcment Sweep

Ten children in Wisconsin have been rescued from child sex trafficking operations in a joint sweep by federal and state law enforcement agencies.

The three-day operation was carried out by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and 14 police and sheriff’s departments in the state. Police arrested 100 suspects in Wisconsin, although not all of the charges filed were for sex trafficking.

The 10 young people rescued in Wisconsin fit the profile of most of the 105 victims helped in the nationwide operation that include 76 cities. Most are between the ages of 13 and 17.

Wisconsin Department of Justice spokesperson Jenniffer Price says most have been forced into prostitution to support themselves. “We have individual pimps who are very organized in their methodology of trafficking not only one girl but multiple juvenile girls,” she says.

Price says once the victims are rescued, state agencies do their best to help them get out of the sex business and begin a new life.

In a similar operation last year there were 60 arrests and six juveniles rescued. The FBI says this year’s operation netted 159 pimps but none of those are listed as being charged in Wisconsin.