Interpol rescues victims of child sexual exploitation in Mexico

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Child Rescue Coalition (CRC), carried out the arrest of 60 people for sexual crimes against minors and the identification and rescue of 65 child victims after a year of work in nine countries in Central America, North America and the Caribbean.

The operation was called “Eclipse” (February 2025 – January 2026) and focused on the production and distribution of material related to child sexual abuse and exploitation, with the main objective of identifying victims and reopening unresolved or long-standing cold cases.

Most of the victims are between 5 and 13 years old, and approximately 80% are identified as girls. After being rescued, they received protection measures and care from national authorities.

The countries involved in “Operation Eclipse” were Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.

Suspected perpetrators had different levels of connection with the minors

Authorities reported that the suspected perpetrators had different levels of connection with their victims. Among them were relatives, friends, neighbors, educators, online predators and foreign travelers, highlighting that there is no single profile of a sexual offender.

Meanwhile, in Panama, “Operation Eclipse” helped successfully resolve a case that had remained unsolved for more than a decade involving a victim who had not been identified in Interpol’s database.

In the Dominican Republic, two suspects were arrested for child sexual abuse crimes involving two victims, ages 10 and 13. The victims’ mother was also arrested, accused of facilitating and perpetrating the abuse. The other detainee was a sex offender who lived with the victims.

In Costa Rica, the investigation located a minor victim whose aggressor had initially posed as an internet celebrity and later resorted to grooming tactics and threats against her family to maintain control over her.

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