The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently announced the results of "Operation Cross Country," a nationwide sweep targeting sex traffickers. The effort involved local police departments, nonprofit groups and more.
This is the 13th year the campaign has been underway. Last month, over 200 victims of sex trafficking were found, and 59 missing children were rescued.
"Here on Oʻahu, we recovered six children, which was just fantastic, great work by our team," said Steven Merrill, the FBI special agent in charge for Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. He said his office's main priority is protecting keiki and kūpuna.
"We recovered five children on the Big Island, and we identified and located one on Maui as well," he added.
Although Operation Cross Country itself was only two weeks long, Merrill wants people to know that the FBI is always working to save people from sex trafficking. Gathering intelligence alone takes months.
"We're always doing this," Merrill said, "12 months a year."
Although it's too early to share information about the suspects involved, their cases are being referred to local prosecutors.
Merrill said cases in Hawaiʻi are unique because the state has more runaways, which means children are often living on the streets and not with family. That can make it harder to find children and catch perpetrators.
"There isn't a great deal of information available [on] who is living at a homeless encampment, as an example," Merrill explained.
"We really do have to do a great job so that the agents and officers, when they're on the street looking actively for these victims, have information to work off of."
Merrill told The Conversation that he hopes every family looking for their child gets the help they need. He wants to remind others that keeping the community safe is always a team effort.
More information can be found at missingkids.org.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 2, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. This interview was adapted for the web by Emily Tom.
