105 arrested in San Diego sex-trafficking sweeps

An anti-sex trafficking law enforcement operation conducted earlier this month resulted in 105 arrests across San Diego County, it was announced Monday.

Operation Stand on Demand, which was also conducted in Sacramento, Tulare, and Fresno counties by 18 law enforcement agencies, ran from Jan. 19 through Jan. 24 and targeted sex buyers through the use of surveillance and deployment of undercover officers.

Statewide, the effort netted a total of 120 arrests, which broke down to 87 arrested for loitering, 25 for solicitation, and eight for pimping and pandering.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the strategy behind the operation focused on reducing the demand for trafficking rather than punishing those victimized by traffickers.

Bonta said during a Monday news conference that sex trafficking survivors “face coercion, fear, fraud, and violence and far too often, they’re treated as criminals rather than as victims.”

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said the sex and human trafficking industries generate millions in illicit profit each year in San Diego County.

“This operation was focused on demand because if there’s no demand to buy human beings, there wouldn’t be trafficking,” she said.

Stephan urged anyone who is knows a trafficking victim to visit any of San Diego County’s three Family Justice Centers for resources and services.

Other resources include the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1888-373-7888.