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The FBI said a multi-agency investigation found 33 missing children in Southern California, including 8 who had been subjected to sexual exploitation.
The office added that the “lost angels” operation began on January 11, and takes place during Human Trafficking Awareness Month. More than twenty agencies have participated in it to identify and find missing children, explaining that children at risk often return to such places for various reasons and are subject to abuse.
Officials arrested one person on human trafficking charges and the bureau confirmed that the agencies opened multiple investigations and that arrests were made for other reasons, including robbery, according to USA Today.
The FBI says the number of cases involving sex and human trafficking has increased dramatically in recent years. The office began collecting data on human trafficking in 2013.
Since then, the number of states involved in data collection has increased, along with the number of reported incidents. As of last November, there were more than 1,800 investigations into human trafficking, including people of all ages.
Kristi Johnson, deputy director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said the office views human trafficking as modern-day slavery and considers minors involved in the sex trade as victims.
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