New York City Council members held a meeting on Wednesday on combating sex trafficking in the city. There were testimonies from NYPD, advocacy groups and district attorneys from Queens and Brooklyn all discussing the progress made by law enforcement and criminal justice courts in the crack down of sex traffickers in New York.

The meeting also shed to light many of the challenges still faced by officers who testified that their success has been limited to mostly domestic cases. There have been 76 cases of sex trafficking in the city this year so far with 70 separate arrests made by the human tracking team, which is part of the Vice Enforcement Division of the NYPD.

However, the team hasn’t had much luck with international cases, having almost no arrests on that level this year. This information shocked and perplexed council members who heard the testimonies and asked for stronger connection between NYPD and local officials in various boroughs to bring awareness about international rings in immigrant communities.

Audience members like Ellen Gorman, a psychotherpaist and member of Women’s City Club of New York found police efforts in patrolling the city for traffickers weak and called for stronger laws and harsher punishments for the “users” also knows as ‘johns’ of the sex trafficking business.

1. Ellen Gorman talks her club as been one of the key forces in bringing together meetings that raise awareness about sex trafficking in the city:

2.Ellen Gorman talks about sex trafficking being prevalent in many parts of the city:

3. Ellen Gorman talks about rescue efforts by law enforcements and the victim’s reality after years of abuse:

Ambi from meeting – Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras starting the meeting: