“Sex trafficking remains one of the most horrific human rights violations in the United States, with as many as 300,000 children at risk for sexual exploitation each year. It’s time we stop thinking about trafficking as someone else’s problem. Every day children are being exploited right here in New York City.

“Data from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office shows the majority of the sex trafficking cases they prosecuted last year were children that were marketed through Backpage.com. These kinds of adult sites perpetuate the culture of sexual violence against children, and we need to send a clear message that this abuse will not be tolerated in the five boroughs. That’s why my colleagues and I are calling on Village Voice Media to stop facilitating this kind of exploitation and remove the adult section of Backpage.com from their paper.”

“I’m proud to announce that on April 25th the Council will be holding a hearing on a resolution sponsored by council members Melissa Mark Viverito and Brad Lander urging Village Voice media to do the right thing. Together we can help put an end to this system of abuse, and better protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

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