Christian Examiner reports:
In a week-long nationwide sting, over 500 law enforcement officials coordinated by the FBI rescued 149 children from human trafficking—and the youngest one was 12 years old.
“It’s a really young age—we’re really concerned about that,” said Staca Shehan, executive director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which provided aid for the rescued children. “The majority of cases we see involve 15-, 16- and 17-year-old children,” Shehan said.
Runaway youth are especially likely to be exploited by predators who, after winning the children’s trust and obtaining their dependence, force them into prostitution.