A health inspector in Jupiter, Florida noticed troubling signs
that women working in a local massage business may have been there under duress. She contacted authorities, which led to investigations of human trafficking across multiple illicit massage business locations.
Law enforcement reports indicate that the women were not allowed to leave, forced to provide commercial sex, and their passports confiscated. These are just a few of the red flags that indicate that individuals may have experienced human trafficking.
Between December 2007 and December 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified more than 32,000 potential cases of human trafficking. In the analysis of those cases, the Typology of Modern Slavery Report , identified that 2,949 of those cases involved illicit massage, health, and beauty businesses:
“Survivors are controlled through coercion, including extreme intimidation, threats of shame, isolation from the outside community, debt bondage, exploitation of communication barriers, and explicit as well as implied threats. Women are typically forced to live at the business or in another location with their movement controlled between work and home. Day-to-day actions tend to be monitored by a manager, who watches the store in person or off-site with a CCTV camera.”
If you are aware of a massage, health, or beauty business and notice any signs of force, fraud, or coercion, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 (BEFREE). The confidential toll-free hotline provides human trafficking victims and survivors with access to critical support and services to get help and stay safe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in more than 200 languages.
- If you are a health care provider seeking trauma-informed training on how to identify and respond to human trafficking, participate in the free and accredited SOAR to Health and Wellness training provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Health and human service professionals can participate in the training online or in-person.
- If you are a community organization seeking to raise awareness about human trafficking, access the HHS Look Beneath the Surface campaign public awareness materials. Local organizations can download and customize posters, brochures, and other resources available in English and Spanish.
Relevant Resources from the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice:
Initiatives to Reduce Demand for Prostitution and Sex Trafficking in the U.S.
Estimating the Underground Commercial Sex Economy in the U.S.