Quebec youth centre locks doors after several teenage girls run away

LAVAL – A Montreal-area youth centre has decided to lock its doors after five teenage girls ran away in the last two weeks.

Four of the five have since been found.

READ MORE: Quebec to appoint auditor to look into missing teens at group home

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Authorities have said there were concerns they were being targeted by sex-trade recruiters working with criminal gangs.

Lucie Charlebois, the Quebec minister responsible for youth protection, said a legal opinion from the Justice Department states the decision by the centre in Laval to lock its doors does not violate any law.

READ MORE: Laval group home a target of gangs and prostitution rings: report

The government announced this week that an auditor has been sent to the centre to oversee whether safety protocols are being followed.