They tend to look suspect from the start. They're often open at odd hours, or all hours of the night. They might have no windows, boarded up windows or back-alley doors with few, if any, markings. Visitors might find they charge below-market prices because they rely on big tips. The workers are very often all women of foreign descent, and may speak very little English. These are all signs that a massage parlor -- even those with legitimate business filings -- may be engaging in illegal activity and fueling the sex and human trafficking trade, according to a recent report by the Polaris Project , an anti-human trafficking advocacy group.
The organization found possible massage parlors that advertised or had been implicated in offering sexual services in the state. It also documented nearly 3, cases of human trafficking connected to more than 9, massage parlors across the nation. Map of allegedly illegal massage parlors peddling sex and fueling human trafficking. Other signs an illegal location may be in your town:. You can report suspected human trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
According to Polaris, authorities too often focus on the workers -- who in many cases are stuck in a vicious, sometimes violent, human ring -- rather than the business owners. These parlors are hiding in plain sight, Keyhan said.
More than three-quarters have some sort of legitimate business record, making it more difficult to identify them and get rid of them.
The group did not publicly identify suspected locations. Middlesex, Somerset and Bergen counties have the most illegal massage businesses, according to data compiled compiled by the Polaris Project from quasi-legal review websites where users reveal sexual activities allegedly available. Traffickers bring women down I along the Eastern seaboard in a highly connected network, Keyhan said.
