CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At Charlotte-Mecklenburg police headquarters on Wednesday, officials with Charlotte’s FBI field office reported results from a nationwide effort to combat child sex trafficking.
FBI officials reported that 84 children were recovered across the country last week because of Operation Cross Country XI, which ran from Oct. 12 to 15.
Operation Cross Country XI is part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative, which began in 2003 and has led to more than 6,500 children being found and recovered.
According to authorities, 55 FBI field offices took part in the operation, as well as 78 state and local task forces. Law enforcement officers staged operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, on internet websites and on street corners as part of the operation, officials said.
Thirteen North Carolina law enforcement agencies conducted operations in Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville and Lumberton as part of the effort, officials said. Authorities said 11 people were arrested and three young victims were recovered and offered assistance in North Carolina, including shelter, counseling, food and clothing.
"I can tell you there is a problem in Charlotte," Jason Kaplan, supervisory special agent with the FBI, said.
[RELATED COVERAGE: 3 girls found in connection with possible NC human trafficking investigation]
Officials said the youngest victim recovered during this year’s nationwide operation was 3 months old, while the average age of victims was 15 years old.
“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s children from harm. Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested -- and the number of children recovered -- reinforces why we need to continue to do this important work,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “This operation isn't just about taking traffickers off the street. It's about making sure we offer help and a way out to these young victims who find themselves caught in a vicious cycle of abuse."
Last year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and officials with the Charlotte FBI field office formed a task force to combat human trafficking year-round.
"What we are not doing is trying to get a lot of arrests,” CMPD Capt. Demetria Faulkner-Welch said. “What is important to us as a department and a task force is making sure we rescue these kids from this type of lifestyle and get them back on track."
CMPD officials said the goal of the task force is to find children who have been isolated and misused and to help them recover.
"We take the time to sit down, to find out the child's story and then figure out what services would best suit their needs," Faulkner-Welch said.
CMPD officials reinforced Wednesday that people from all walks of life can fall victim to human trafficking.
Authorities said the best way to stop human trafficking is for people to get involved in the fight against it and report victims. Officials added that parents should be on the lookout for children missing school, having things they can't afford and distant behavior.
"They are ours and we need to take responsibility back for them," CMPD Detective Ashley Horton said. “Anybody can reach them and talk them into something."
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