© Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images
Rights activists, under the umbrella of the Justice Development and Peace commission, march against the illegal human trafficking and countrywide violence during a protest march on March 18, 2017 in Lagos.
More than 100 child sex trafficking victims were rescued across the U.S. last month in an effort code-named Operation
Independence Day that involved sweeps in Las Vegas, Atlanta and Seattle and resulted in 67 arrests.
One such case that won't be prosecuted is that of
former disgraced financier Jefferey Epstein, who authorities said
died of suicide in his jail cell on Saturday. Epstein was charged with
human trafficking, among other things, by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has said that such cases are a priority, sex trafficking crimes are uniquely difficult to prosecute.
According to the Department of Justice, the law defines human trafficking as "the act of compelling or coercing a person's labor, services, or commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological, but it must be used to coerce a victim into performing labor, services, or commercial sex acts."
Comment: As of Monday, the cause of the incident remains unexplained.
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