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A young woman of color goes missing every other week in the Bronx, according to a list released by New York City on Wednesday, leading to suspicions of a sex trafficking ring.
OPINION:
Pan-Africanism, Feminism and Finding the Missing Women
“Something is going on. They are attractive girls. How do you get the numbers vanishing?” said City Council member Andy King in a press conference Wednesday, standing next to family members of the girls.
"We need to make sure that our children stay safe. Understanding and learning more that there is a valid active prostitution ring that is occurring up here in the Bronx, we need to find ways to shut it down."
Six of the women went missing in June, two of them last Thursday. The New York Police Department said it is investigating their cases, reported the New York Daily News.
King said in the press conference that he will partner with local Bronx businesses to create safe zones where NYPD officers could assist anyone in trouble. Businesses could opt in on a volunteer basis.
While many of the girls have been found, the latest list still has 14 girls, aged 12 to 19 and almost all Black and Latina, missing since July 2014.
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