SAN DIEGO–San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force conducted “Operation Home for the Holidays” on December 14 and 15, an undercover operation aimed at recovering juvenile victims of human trafficking.
The two-day operation involved detectives from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department working undercover as sex buyers looking for online advertisements of suspected juveniles.
Eleven female adults and one 16-year-old female responded to the undercover detectives and, upon arrival to the arranged location, were detained for further investigation.
As a result of the operation, Child Welfare Services and a juvenile advocate were on-site and assisted with the recovery of the juvenile. All of the detained females were offered resources. Some were willing to accept assistance. Four men were arrested for supervision of prostitution, one of which was in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest. Another man was arrested for pimping and pandering. A woman was arrested for trafficking of a minor. Those cases are being investigated by the San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force.
“I’m proud of the great work being done by the San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force,” said Sheriff Bill Gore. “The cooperation between the Sheriff’s Department and our local, state and federal law enforcement partners is sending a clear message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in San Diego County.”
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where perpetrators profit from the sexual exploitation and/or forced labor of men, women and children. It is a violation of basic human rights, and it is also a crime as defined by U.S. federal law and California state law, according to a post on the San Diego County District Attorney’s website.
Victims of sex trafficking are often coerced by the perpetrators to engage in prostitution, pornography, and other sexual activities.
“Every child and every human being deserves to live free of sexual exploitation and dehumanization,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Our specialized human trafficking team joins the Sheriff’s Department and the Human Trafficking Task Force to hold perpetrators accountable through the power of the law, while at the same time providing compassionate advocacy to the most vulnerable.”
Approximately, 27 million people are trafficked each year worldwide, with approximately 18,000 victims in the U.S. In California, a border state with a significant immigrant population is one of the nation’s top four destination states for trafficking of human beings. San Diego is one of the top 13 high intensity child prostitution areas, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Minors who runaway from home are vulnerable to sex trafficking by adults. Perpatrators involved in human trafficking often solicit and recruit their young victims for prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, according to the San Diego County District Attorney. Perpetrators include family members, boyfriends, peer recruiters and organized criminals and gangs.
The DA released warning signs of minor victims of human trafficking:
- Running away from home
- Truancy, chronic absenteeism
- Sudden drop in grades
- Change of friends or alienation from regular friends
- Rumors among students regarding sex activities
- Sudden change in behavior, attitude or attire
- Anger, aggression, being suicidal or fearful
- Claims of a new and mysterious/secretive “boyfriend”
- Use of drugs (i.e. marijuana and ecstasy)
- Weight loss
- Bruises or other physical trauma
- New cell phone or multiple cell phones
- Use of terminology related to prostitution
- Tattoos that are related to pimping/prostitution activity
- Secrecy with social media and phone
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the confidential National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888 or text 233733. Visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/ for more resources.
