Over a period of six years, while living at the Motel 6 on Central Avenue in Colonie, a young woman originally from Saratoga County claims she was repeatedly abused and forced into prostitution. The allegations were outlined in a new lawsuit that aims to hold Motel 6's parent company responsible for not doing anything to stop it.

"It's very disturbing; it's not unusual, though, unfortunately,” said Theresa Schillaci, the coordinator of Albany Couty’s Safe Harbor Program. “New York State ranks fifth in the nation for the number of reported cases of human trafficking."

The Safe Harbor Program provides counseling and other support services to young victims of human trafficking like the woman who anonymously filed the lawsuit.

"It's life-altering, especially when a youth is brought into a trafficking situation early," Schillaci said.

Starting when the victim was just 17, the lawsuit claims the abuse started as a romantic encounter with an unnamed man who was staying at the hotel. Along with his sister, the male is accused of getting the girl hooked on drugs to keep her compliant.

Schillaci say's that's a common tactic in these types of cases.

"There's an element of brainwashing as well,” Schillaci said. “The individual who is the victim is told now that you're involved in this kind of activity, no one is going to love you anymore, no one is going to want you anymore."

While he says the agency never received a criminal complaint about this case, Colonie Police Department Lieutenant Rob Winn says the Motel 6 on Central has been a frequent hotbed of police activity. It was there, during a 2015 case similar to the one alleged in the latest lawsuit, that officers arrested a pimp who was later convicted of abusing his victim.

"That specific location has been the site of 187 police calls this year," Winn said.

With most transactions brokered online, Winn says prostitution and human trafficking are difficult crimes to investigate.

"Our ultimate goal here always is to look out for our victims, and we do view them as victims,” Winn said. “We will do everything in our power to eradicate or investigate these cases."

Despite the challenges, Schillaci believes raising awareness and throwing a blanket of support around victims is the best way to combat human trafficking.

"To not do anything ruins people's lives," Schillaci said.

A spokesperson for Motel 6 defended the company in a written statement released Wednesday morning.

"Motel 6 takes a proactive, zero-tolerance stance on human trafficking. There is nothing more important to us than the safety and well-being of our guests, our employees, and the communities in which we operate," the statement read.