Colombia arrests 298 in sweep against child sex abuse

Bogota: Authorities in Colombia have arrested 298 people in a nationwide operation against child sex offenders, prosecutors said Tuesday.

More than 1,180 arrest warrants were issued for the April 20-21 operation, and 298 people have been detained so far, the office of the country`s top prosecutor said.

This year, authorities have received 11,729 reports of such crimes involving 12,921 minor victims, they added.

The bulk of the crimes were alleged sexual assaults against minors under the age of 14.

UNICEF said in its latest report on children in Colombia that 86 percent of sex assault investigations were for crimes against minors.