By Bethan Sexton. New York school children have complained they are being forced to walk past 'Venezuelan prostitutes' in broad daylight, with their neighborhood likened to a Bangkok 'red-light district'.
High schoolers told how they encounter sex workers 'virtually on every block' of the route along the Jackson Heights-Corona border. Jalene Lugo, 14, said she passed several provocatively dressed women in a doorway on 93rd Street earlier this week and not for the first time. Other residents described the scene as like a 'red-light district, similar to Bangkok'. Sex workers have been seen walking the streets during the day, with many aggressively soliciting even as children get out of school or during their lunch hour.
The mayor said the city has identified two locations of concern - one in East New York and the other on Roosevelt Avenue pictured above. Jalene's mom Massiel Lugo, a local activist who has previously held rallies about the issue, is calling for more to be done to keep the area safe for youngsters. Elmhurst resident Ramsay Frias told the outlet: ' It's scary that there's no moral compass anymore. Growing up, it's never been perfect, but right now, it's lawless. Lugo said: 'We understand that these women need money, but they shouldn't be doing this during school.
We are seeing more Latina women doing prostitution. She has set up a petition to 'reclaim' the community, which has so far amassed more than 1, signatures. Meanwhile, businesses have warned the activity is causing them to lose money.
One cellphone store owner revealed customers don't want to come in anymore due to the presence of sex workers outside. But state assembly member Cataline Cruz, who researched sex trafficking prior to her election in the Queens district, opposes the criminalization of prostitution.
