Los Angeles County: Major National Sex Trafficking Hub
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors highlighted the sexual trafficking of minors today after the L.A. County Probation Department staffers triumphed with a $1 million grant to actively combat the issue.
Supervisor Don Knabe revealed the seriousness of the problem. "Sadly, this county is recognized as one of the major hubs for sex trafficking in the nation, primarily of girls as young as 11 and 12 years old," Knabe said, reports City News Service. "Untold numbers of these children fall victim to predatory adults who sexually exploit them for personal gain and often abuse them in unspeakable and brutal ways."
During the last two years, the department has identified 175 young girls as victims of sex trafficking. Chief Probation Officer Jerry Powers said, "In a county of 10 million, I can tell you that we're just scratching the surface." Powers added that approximately 50% of current L.A. County probationers arrested for prostitution first sold their bodies as juveniles between the average ages of 12 and 14.
Just last month, five men were arrested on charges of taking minors from the Inland Empire to North Hollywood to work as prostitutes. The arrests followed an investigation by the Los Angeles Innocence Lost Task Force.
A recommendation by Knabe urges board staffers to develop a strategy to battle child prostitution as well as dedicate a department unit to sexually exploited minors.
