3 FAQs About Illicit Massage Businesses
One of the most well-known forms of human trafficking is the selling of commercial sex within illicit massage businesses (IMBs). It is the second most common type of trafficking reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline1, and most Houstonians can find an IMB within a short driving distance of their home, school, or place of employment.
It’s important to remember that most massage businesses in America are not illicit – they employ perfectly legal operations and provide safe and effective treatment for their clientele. We must also remember that not all massage workers at an IMB provide sexual services, and many regular customers would never know that some clients in the next room are paying for sex.
But in our community outreach efforts, our team here at Crime Stoppers of Houston is constantly asked about trafficking by concerned neighbors, and this unfortunate reality is very much alive in our city.
We have found that many of our community members share common questions about the nature of trafficking and illicit massage businesses within our city:
How can you tell if a massage parlor is legitimate or not?
This is by far one of the most common questions our team gets. A few signs that a massage business may be facilitating human trafficking include:
- Windows that are completely covered or blacked out
- Customers must buzz in to enter the business
- They refuse to admit or serve female customers
- Listed rates for massages are lower than the industry standard
- You are asked to pay for massage services before receiving treatment
- There are no intake forms you are required to complete prior to receiving treatment
The presence of one or more of these indicators could be a sign that a business is involved in the sale of commercial sex.
Why don’t victims just leave?
Victim workers in these establishments are primarily controlled through debt bondage, blackmail, intense psychological manipulation, and/or physical violence. Almost every aspect of their life is controlled — where they live, what they eat, where they go, what they look like, and who they are allowed to talk to.
On top of that, many victims are not U.S. citizens, so they may have cultural and language barriers, fear law enforcement, and/or have no or limited knowledge of their rights, which can make it incredibly difficult for them to seek support.
For others, working in an IMB is the only way they are able to provide for themselves, their children, and family members they may have abroad. Many victim workers simply cannot afford to jeopardize their situation, no matter how inhumane and dangerous it might be.
Why don’t the police just shut them down?
Permanently shutting down an illicit massage business is a complicated process. Police operations like raids and undercover stings can result in trafficking victims being arrested and booked on prostitution charges, while the actual trafficker evades any legal consequences. Additionally, most of these businesses are part of much larger organized crime networks, and if one location is closed, traffickers will simply shift the victims to another.
Building a solid case that will remove traffickers from society in the long term takes time, resources, and hard work. As our law enforcement partners work to gather evidence and pursue criminal charges, there are other steps regular citizens can take to curb trafficking in our communities.
Business owners are required to adhere to various codes and regulations in order to operate legally, but many IMBs may not be following these requirements and may be vulnerable to civil penalties, including fines and potential closures.
We encourage citizen involvement, particularly in supporting victims, but uninformed action, however well-intentioned, can do more harm than good. Avoid entering massage parlors you suspect may be IMBs, attempting to talk with potential victims, or taking actions designed to draw attention to a particular business, like a protest. These actions can alert traffickers and cause them to move their operation before victims can be identified and helped.
If you suspect that a location is an IMB and facilitating human trafficking, report a tip to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
- https://polarisproject.org/blog/2018/05/is-there-massage-parlor-trafficking-in-my-community/
Posted by on 31 Jan 2025