FBI rescues US child prostitutes

The operation targeted pimps and their associates in 36 cities

FBI officials in the US say they have rescued more than 50 children from prostitution rings.

Nearly 700 people were arrested in 36 cities over three days, officials said, in an operation targeting a number of prostitution hotspots.

Most of those rescued were girls under 18 with the youngest just 10 years old. Dozens of pimps were also arrested.

The raid was part of a larger FBI operation which has so far recovered nearly 900 children from prostitution.

More than 1,500 FBI agents and police officers took part in the raids, which were based on intelligence provided by local police forces.

Nationwide effort

The FBI said that information provided by those arrested in such raids often uncovered organised prostitution rings and could lead to further rescues.

"These kids are victims. This is 21st century slavery" Ernie Allen National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Kevin Perkins, the Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Division, said that despite recent success, child prostitution remained "a significant problem" in the US.

Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, welcomed the arrests of hundreds of people, including 60 pimps who had been forcing the children into prostitution to make money.

"Child trafficking for the purposes of prostitution is organised criminal activity using kids as commodities for sale or trade.

"These kids are victims. They lack the ability to walk away. This is 21st Century slavery," Mr Allen said.