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No Happy Ending For Illegal Massage Parlours: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Opinion
Barry Artiste
Certainly the Upstanding and Respected Churchgoer caught in this crackdown, can look forward to many unhappy endings.
Illegal Massage Parlours under the guise of Health and Wellness, certainly are hard to spot, though obvious signs such as naked masseuses walking around giving "Happy Endings" are a dead give away.
British Columbia's Lower Mainland, Richmond, Burnaby and Vancouver areas have had their massage parlours busted as it was found the masseuses were in this country illegally from China, under the guise the women would be working legitimate jobs in the restaurant industry, instead found themselves bound into prostitution and massage parlours.
One wonders how these women can easily be brought into this country illegally, by these criminal organizations?
Illegal massage parlours tough to weed out
Posted: August 27, 2008, 12:20 AM
by Ronald Nurwisah Crime, Neighbourhoods
By Melissa Leong
The sign above the Danforth Avenue storefront used to say “health spa.
” But last week, police taped papers in the windows reading: “Closed down by 54 Division major crime unit Toronto police” — their unofficial vow to residents that illegal massage parlours will not operate in this community.
On Tuesday, one day following the police announcement that they had raided nine spas that were alleged fronts for brothels, local business owners worried that more would open elsewhere. “It’s almost like you’re trying to clean a drug-affected area.
It’s successful here, but it just moves somewhere else,” said Hugh Huynh, who runs a pawnshop on the busy strip. Shopkeepers pointed to a new health spa that only serves men; it is across the street from a holistic centre that police shut down.
It could be legitimate, one hopeful retailer said. Police have charged 25 people with 81 criminal offences at six addresses on Danforth Avenue near Coxwell and Woodbine avenues and three on O’Connor Drive. In doing so, Detective Christopher Higgins said they have targeted all of the alleged bawdy houses in his division.
Undercover officers started their investigation in May. “Everything was offered to our undercover officers from reverse nude massages [where the client massages the masseuse] to sexual intercourse.”
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Barry ORegan
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (8)
at 05:40 on August 27th, 2008
nice story
at 12:02 on November 10th, 2008
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Check out"happy endings" a doc film on Asian massage parlors in RI where prostitution is legal. Check the blog and youtube channel and leave comments. Sign up on the website to get updates on the release.
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http://www.youtube.com/ happyendingsdoc
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at 21:38 on November 13th, 2008
thanks to you both for your visits and comments.,
at 18:51 on February 19th, 2009
These "no happy endings " in a sense are HAPPY ENDINGS for the society and for Toronto.
the article is nice and an eye opener.
the illegal side businesses going under the legitimate names needed to be shut. The innocent girls were duped to follow an illegal profession.It is a blot on Toronto's image world over.
In my opinion that which has been done is the right thing.
http://www.torontosuites.com
at 23:41 on March 3rd, 2009
Thanks for the input Toronto
at 22:45 on June 2nd, 2009
why don't police put their efforts into real crime instead of wasting time on victimless crimes ??
at 22:46 on June 23rd, 2009
It's sucks that girls get sucked into(or forced) into this lifestyle, but it's mainly cuz it's so unregulated. I bet it would happen a lot less if prostituion were legal. Seriously.
In austrailia, where prostituion is legal in many areas, HIV among prostitutes is SO LOW, even compared to other citizens, that prostition was taken off the list of risks for HIV. ..Perhaps the disease issue isn't so problamatic afterall. Perhaps more study is needed before jumping to conclusions? Maybe all you anti-prostituion people should stop worrying about who screws who and instead go screw yourselves haha. And maybe learn the facts when you're done.
"Selling is legal. Fucking is legal. Why isn't selling fucking legal?" -George Carlin
at 10:19 on August 10th, 2009
well - Mark Morrella- this IS real crime, and it HAS victims- victims that are innocent girls- sometimes girls who are as young as 12-13 or innocent women who are MADE to have sex with men, and are held as slaves.
This crime to me is more real than any shootings/deaths/etc. It is a violation of human rights and it is sadly happening all over the world, people die in car accidents, people die in shootings, but this is serious in that people are TORTURED and LIVE in torture with no help, no identity, - nothing. These crimes MUST be stopped, there is not enough that is being done, too many people are ignorant about this. I love how people will have protests about stuff that is happening in other countries, but no one says anything about illegal prostition that is happening right here under their noses.
And, prostitution should be made legal - because maybe then it wouldn't be so hard for men to get paid sex where they have to seek illegal girls in brothels.However, even with prostitution legalized, this stuff will still go on, unless people start putting an end to it and caring.
Human traffiking is 2nd largest industry after drug dealing. Except - drugs - they're nothing compared to people that are treated as objects. it's sick.