By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
In an unprecedented show of global cooperation, more than a dozen international law enforcement agencies, spearheaded by the United States, have executed an operation hailed as a milestone in the fight against child sexual exploitation.
Under the banner of “Operation Renewed Hope,” an intensive three-week effort launched on July 17th, helped identify and locate victims of child sexual exploitation.
The FBI confirmed that 311 child victims were identified and rescued.
The heart of Operation Renewed Hope included an intensive investigation into sexually explicit content involving minors, often lurking on the dark web, with some cases dating back decades.
During the operation, investigators said they made significant progress in identifying and rescuing 311 child victims.
Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with support from the Justice Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, Interpol, Europol, and 13 other international law enforcement organizations from countries like Australia, Canada, and various nations across Europe and South America, were involved in the probe.
Officials said central to the achievements of Operation Renewed Hope was the application of cutting-edge technology like facial recognition and artificial intelligence.
Further, in a parallel initiative, the FBI touted “Operation Cross County,” which resulted in the location of 59 victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation, as well as 59 missing children in the United States.
Collaborating with state and local agencies, the FBI said it apprehended 126 suspects involved in child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, along with 68 suspected traffickers.
Numerous law enforcement agencies joined forces to break up an international pedophile ring that spanned borders.
Triggered by the tragic shooting deaths of two FBI agents during a search operation in Sunrise, Florida, the joint investigation involving the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the FBI.
The mission led to the arrest of nearly 100 individuals in the United States and Australia, and it found a network of individuals who shared child abuse material.
The operation, “Operation Bakis,” revealed a peer-to-peer network operating on the dark web that arrested individuals aged 32 to 81.
“The success of Operation Bakis demonstrates the importance of partnerships for law enforcement, not only at a national level here in Australia but also at an international level,” said Commander Helen Schneider of the Australian Federal Police.
FBI legal attaché Nitiana Mann emphasized the necessity of collaboration in tackling the complex and anonymous platforms that facilitate these crimes.
“As we continue to build bridges through collaboration and teamwork, we can ensure the good guys win, and the bad guys lose,” Mann stated.
