COURT HOUSE – The Seattle Sea Hawks were not the only winners on Super Bowl Sunday. 16 juveniles (most of them 13 years old) and 50 young adult women were rescued from sex slavery Feb 2. 48 of their slave masters were arrested.
“Operation Innocence Lost,” which was organized by Governor Chris Christie, was a success.
Residents of Cape May County were given a preview of the law enforcement operation by County Prosecutor Bob Taylor at the Old Court House a week prior to the Super Bowl. Dozens of agencies and organizations, including the FBI, New Jersey State Police and local departments joined forces to disrupt the criminal activities of traffickers who converged on East Rutherford to sell their human cargo to football fans and tourists who attended the national event.
On Jan. 30, Taylor had told his audience the efforts took several months and required training for legions of law enforcement personnel, hospitality workers, airport employees and others on identifying the signs of sex trafficking. It involved a task force set up through the New Jersey Attorney General’s office.
Information on sex trafficking is difficult to quantify due to the underground nature of the crime. Studies analyzed and documented by the think tank “Just Facts” show that former prostitutes often are brought into the field before the age of 18, and even 16 years old. “A survey of 104 prostituted juveniles arrested from 2007-2008 in Clark County, Nevada, found that 78 percent of them wanted to leave prostitution,” reported Just Facts.
Just Facts also pointed to a United Nation’s International Labor Association estimate that sex traffickers can make as much as $67,200 on each victim in a single year. A 2011 Department of Justice survey found that 94 percent of sex trafficking victims are female, and six percent are male.
While there were likely far more than 16 juveniles and 50 adults being sex trafficked around the Super Bowl, rescuing even one human being from a life of degradation makes the effort worth it. The survivors will need help overcoming the effects of the abuse, which can include shame and depression as well as reintegration into school or work. Both the state and Federal governments have recently put programs into place to help with the transition.
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey@cmcherald.com.
For the Herald’s previous coverage, go to:
– Sex Trafficking is Big Business at the Super Bowl: http://goo.gl/1UfuqY
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