A growing number of young women in Westchester and the Hudson Valley are falling victim to human trafficking, according to a local lawmaker.

"Human trafficking is not just another community's problem," says state Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. "It's in our community." Paulin teamed up Sunday with the Jewish women's group Hadassah to help raise awareness at a rally in Hartsdale.

In April 2013, federal agents arrested 13 people in a sex-trafficking sting connected to the area. They accused the suspects of smuggling young women from Mexico and allegedly forcing some to work in Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and Queens.

In early September, a 58-year-old Newburgh man was sentenced to 15 years behind bars after admitting to raping, beating and forcing several women into prostitution.

Speakers at the rally urged a grassroots approach, and Paulin read aloud statements penned by local victims.