BUSINESS
Sex trade and slavery
MASSAGE PARLOURS: THE SEX TRADE A N D S L AV E WO R K I N T H E UK M AS SAGE T H ER A PY I N D UST RY
Magdalena Vonk explores the subject of forced labour and the connection of sex trafficking within the UK massage industry…
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F you are a massage therapist, you almost certainly have an opinion on the word parlour. In the past, this innocent word described a place of work. Now, it is frequently associated with sex trade and human trafficking. When I typed into google “massage parlour” and the name of my local town, a number of Chinese and Thai massage studios popped up as results, together with www.Scoot.co.uk advertising “Massage Parlours in Cheltenham”. There were 18 results, all connected to escort and sexual services. It seemed a lot – more than I expected - for a town of just 118,000 people. Disguising sex work under the guise of massage therapy is nothing new. Indeed, I’ve written about the disturbing number of sexual enquiries I’ve received as a massage therapist and I’ve had to deal with some unpleasant phone calls.
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HOLISTIC THERAPIST 2021
holistictherapistmagazine.com
