A Major Breakthrough
More than 2,300 suspected online child sex offenders have been arrested throughout a 3-month, nationwide, operation that was conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces.
195 offenders were identified, who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse. There were 383 children who reportedly suffered recent, ongoing, or historical sexual abuse or involved in the production of child pornography.
Throughout the course of the operation, the task forces investigated over 25,200 complaints of technology-facilitated crimes against children and it has delivered more than 3,700 presentations on Internet safety to over 390,000 youth and adults.
“No child should ever have to endure sexual abuse,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “And yet, in recent years, certain forms of modern technology have facilitated the spread of child pornography and created greater incentives for its production. We at the Department of Justice are determined to strike back against these repugnant crimes. It is shocking and very sad that in this one operation, we have arrested more than 2,300 alleged child predators and investigated some 25,200 sexual abuse complaints. Any would-be criminal should be warned: this Department will remain relentless in hunting down those who victimize our children.”
According to the US Department of Justice, the operation targeted suspects who:
(1) produce, distribute, receive and possess child pornography;
(2) engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes;
(3) engage in the sex trafficking of children; and
(4) travel across state lines or to foreign countries and sexually abuse children.
Thus far, ICAC Task Forces reviewed over 775,000 complaints of child exploitation, which has resulted in the arrest of over 83,000 individuals.
Since the inception of the ICAC program’s, more than 629,400 law enforcement officers, prosecutors as well as other professionals have been trained on various techniques to investigate and prosecute ICAC-related cases.