It's a lovely day in law enforcement history when a war we can all agree with is waged and won. The War Against Child Prostitution or Operation Cross Country rescued over 50 children, the youngest being 10 and arrested well over 700 suspect and pimps arrested and charged.
Why wasn't this something plastered all over the news? When FBI busted a big drug pin it's all over the place, non stop coverage, pictures of pot or heroine everywhere. Now that they have actually done something not only commendable but something that needs the media attention for the awareness factor it's but a blip on the news radar.
I'm hoping I'm wrong and that somewhere there is someone who has reported this and I'm just late to the scene.
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Ah. I enjoy some good news from time to time.
Child prostitution is icky in a way people don't like. The news doesn't report on things that make viewers uncomfortable or they'll stop watching. The news doesn't really deserve its name anymore.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/26/child.prostitution/index.html
CNN had it on the front page. Not as high as health reform and Afghanistan, but it's there.
I'm happy to see that I was wrong. Thank you!
I think the fact that something like seventeen FBI agents arrested two sex workers in a hotel as part of this sting received more press.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/02/21/5_arrested_in_us_sting_at_marriott/
Ten times the number of adults were arrested for prostitution (518 v. 47) than children were rescued. Minors around 16 or 17 were also arrested.
While I whole-heartedly support the ending of trafficking and child prostitution, I think Operation Cross Country is a horrible waste of resources and is doing a lot of harm along with its good.
Google News shows 33 sources carrying this topic, and several of the majors ( Los Angeles Times, ABC, BBC, NPR, CNN, The Associated Press ) are carrying it too.
http://news.google.ca/news/story?pz=1&cf=all&ned=ca&hl=en&ncl=daQwDsh6dFqBiAMlbbZcqE7e9KWrM