HE: Happy Ending
Evidence suggests that many of the thousands of women engaging in commercial sex in illicit massage businesses are victims of human trafficking. The illegal massage parlor industry is the second largest form of human trafficking in the United States, ranking in an estimated $2.5 billion per year. The women trafficked in massage parlors are often recruited through fraudulent ads that misrepresent pay and hide the sexual nature of the job. Once there, they work excessive hours and are paid less than minimum wage, or nothing. They are threatened with arrest, deportation, or shame to their families if they quit. In every state, illicit massage businesses hide in plain sight in shopping plazas, busy commercial strips, and they dot the sides of highways. Key indicators that a business is selling commercial sex and is a possible human trafficking venue includes covered windows, prices for massages significantly below market, primarily only serves male clientèle, and women appearing to be living in the establishment. The unlawful massage parlors in this book were photographed in New Jersey (Cedar Grove, Hoboken, Bloomfield, Paterson, Passaic, Montclair) and New York City (Manhattan). Corresponding reviews written by customers were screen-shotted from rubmaps.com. Human sex trafficking is happening in your town.