Women living in a heavily migrant-populated Paris area who complained about constant harassment from men last year are saying the situation has become even worse, with some refusing to even leave their homes.

Last year a group of local women signed a petition in an attempt to call attention to the situation in the Chapelle-Pajol district in northern Paris, but now they claim the situation has become even worse than before, Le Parisien reports.

“The situation has worsened. Of course, since these men are more and more numerous. Like many others, I gave up taking the metro to La Chapelle, to cross the square … Even at a running pace,” a local woman who did not wish to be identified said.

“And do not talk about cafes. They do not say ‘Women Prohibited’ on the front, of course, but who would risk it? The police are more present, it’s true, but the fights are also more and more numerous and violent. I have the impression that these traffickers won the game: they took possession of the place,” she added.

Others have referred to the area as “Hell” due to the rampant criminality, with Loïc Guezo, president of the association Demain la Chapelle describing the change in the area over the past several years: “In just a few years, what was an island of tranquility has become an area of lawlessness, where the criminal activity grows and hardens,” he said.

“Trafficking and illegal trade began to set in 2014 and 2015 near the first camp of migrants in Paris, installed at that time Boulevard de la Chapelle,” Guezo added.

Despite increased police presence in the area, there has been little sign of crime slowing down, with officers stopping and searching 2618 individuals in the first eight months of 2018 and arresting 226. The summer also saw increased violence in the area with five mass brawls involving traffickers armed with knives and iron bars.

So far, despite optimism from some local politicians, no solution has come to the problem of criminality in the area, although Paris police have made some progress tackling Moroccan underage gangs after co-operating with Moroccan police.