Maryland’s and Virginia’s attorneys general called on Craigslist Tuesday to remove its adult services section, saying the popular classifieds Web site is rampant with advertisements for prostitution and child trafficking.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli signed a joint letter with their counterparts from 15 other states, offering the strongest rebuttal yet to a service increasingly under fire for lax monitoring of messages and improper safeguards for users.