Texas sting operation just exposed my worst nightmare
As a mom of four, my kids’ safety is always on my mind. I shudder at the idea that someone online or in real life would hurt, abuse or exploit one of my daughters or sons.
Yet, that’s exactly what many parents lived through with the bittersweet success of Operation Soteria Shield, an anti-sex trafficking operation carried out in Texas in April, the details of which were just released.
Local and federal law enforcement officials said they rescued 109 children from sex trafficking in the operation, which included the work of 70 law enforcement agencies.
Authorities arrested 244 people on child sex trafficking and pornography charges.
“Online exploitation of children is one of the most insidious crimes we face as a society,” Plano Police Chief Ed Drain said. “It reaches into every community, crosses every boundary, and leaves lasting harm on its youngest victims.”
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
As a mom, I’m angered at the existence of so many abusers who lure children through the internet. But I also am glad to see law enforcement work so hard to track down offenders distributing child sexual abuse material.
A lot of kids engage in online gaming, one of the ways perpetrators are able to interact with kids. According to a survey from the Social Recovery Center, 85% of middle and high school students in the U.S. play video games. And about 41% play daily, according to Pew Research. It’s awful that evil people have turned a fun activity for kids into a trap for abuse and exploitation.
I hope the news of this successful sting will encourage parents to keep an eye on their children’s time online and to be vigilant about the predatory behavior so common in the online world.
I thought it was beautifully fitting that the operation was called “Soteria.” Derived from Greek mythology, Soteria was the goddess or spirit of safety, deliverance and preservation from harm.
That is exactly what parents are called to do for their children. It’s also what so many members of Texas law enforcement did for these children.
Here's what else we're writing about:
- Put down the phone, Mr. President. Trump's social media posts are dangerous.
- Decker sisters needed protection. But our court system failed them.
- Supreme Court rightly allows states to hit brakes on gender meddling for kids
- Democrats scream democracy is in peril ... while proving that it's absolutely fine
- Minimum wage should be $0. Hawley is wrong to try to raise it.