Federal investigators have rescued a child from a New Haven sex trafficking ring as part of a nationwide initiative to address child prostitution, according to a release from the New Haven branch of the FBI.
The weeklong initiative, called Operation Cross Country VIII, rescued 168 children from prostitution networks and arrested 281 pimps nationwide, according to the release.
It’s part of an FBI undertaking established in 2003 in conjunction with the Dept. of Justice and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“Operation Cross Country’s mission is to rescue sexually exploited children from the streets of America, children forced into despicable lifestyles of prostitution and forced to live in the most horrible of conditions,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Patricia Ferrick, in a release.
A total of 13 children have been rescued from prostitution in New Haven over the past year, the release says.
