Attorney General Chris Koster (PoliticMo Photo)

— Joining 44 other state Attorney Generals, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster called on the website Backpage to back up claims it has attempted to remove advertising for sex trafficking.

“Prostitution is not a victimless crime, and children are often the targets,” Koster said. “We want to continue working with backpage.com to address the ways they are going to make their site safer for children and other victims.”

Koster points to 50 recent cases of advertising or soliciting minors on the website. His office is monitoring postings for signs that its advertising illegal services like prostitution.

In 2008, Attorneys General successfully followed a similar strategy that led Craigslist, a similar website, to remove its “erotic services” section from its website.