At least 45 people were arrested and 16 juveniles rescued during a two-week prostitution bust in the New Jersey/New York area leading up to last weekend's Super Bowl, according to a report by Reuters.
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said that most of the people arrested claimed they were in the area due to the high-profile game.
The 2014 title game, which featured the Seattle Seahawks against the Denver Broncos, drew around 400,000 people to the metropolitan area.
Minors rescued by the FBI ranged in ages from 13 to 17, most of which were reported missing by their families, according to Reuters.
Backed by state and local law enforcement agencies, approximately 3,000 officers and trained civilians helped spot people who could be victims of human trafficking.
Some of the women were seeing up to 50 "johns" a day during the weeks leading up to the big game, which is double the normal traffic, according to Lori Cohen, director of Sanctuary for Families, who spoke to Reuters.
"Many of the men were setting up football parties where they are drinking, watching football and ordering in prostitutes," Cohen said.
Arrests were made and minors were recovered in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, according to FBI spokeswoman Barbara Woodruff, who spoke with Reuters.
Human trafficking, which doesn't just include prostitution but also domestic workers and others who are taken from their homes and forced to work, is a $32 billion industry, according to data released by the United Nations.
One woman, who was forced to become a prostitute in her teens, and now works as an anti-trafficking activist, said the best way to reduce prostitution is by arresting men who look for it.
"I don't blame this on the Super Bowl or NASCAR events, or the Final Four in basketball," said Theresa Flores, according to Reuters. "I blame it on the lack of education that is happening because we are not going after the demand, that is, the men."
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
