SUCCESS STORY
- Susie, 39 years old, was in high spirits at the airport in Mombasa. She boarded a plane on her way to Germany to spend a three-month holiday, courtesy of her 'boyfriend' who had lavished gifts on her. All hopes of an exciting, wonderful stay in a foreign land were shattered on arrival in Germany, when her boyfriend/trafficker confiscated her passport and denied her food for several days before informing her that she would work as a sex slave. She was raped repeatedly, beaten, and threatened with death. After enduring gross exploitation, Susie used a cell phone to call police.
DID YOU KNOW: In June 2003, the FBI in conjunction with the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched the Innocence Lost National Initiative. Their combined efforts were aimed at addressing the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United States. In the five years since its inception, the initiative has resulted in the development of 24 dedicated task forces and working groups throughout the U.S. involving federal, state and local law agencies working in tandem with U.S. Attorney's Offices.
Statistics (as of June 2008)
Children Recovered: 433
Seizures: Over $3 million
Convictions: 308
Task Forces and Working Groups: 24
Investigations have successfully led to the conviction of more than 300 pimps, madams, and their associates who exploit children and women through prostitution. These convictions have resulted in lengthy sentences including multiple 25-year-to-life sentences and the seizure of real property, vehicles, and monetary assets.
