The latest raids here were on March 8, when police went into four spas and arrested five women. They charged all five with the felony of unauthorized practice of a profession, and four also with misdemeanor prostitution.
As of April, three of those spas were still open. The Polaris Project, which studies human trafficking, estimates that there are about 9, of these spas across the U. There are websites dedicated to rating the businesses and the women in them. These massage parlors are not to be confused with legitimate massage therapists, who must undergo 1, hours of schooling and training to obtain a New York state massage therapy license, and who are considered medical professionals.
New Windsor police Detective Sgt. But whatever their suspicions, much like in recent high-profile arrests at spas in the state of Florida on patronizing and prostitution-related charges, officials in New Windsor did not find evidence to support any trafficking charges.
His office tries to partner in those cases with victim support agencies, such as Safe Homes of Orange County, which advocates for victims of domestic violence and trafficking. Polaris notes that most women employed in illicit massage businesses are from China, followed by South Korea.
The women are often lured in under false promises of lucrative, legitimate work and then pressured to perform sexual acts with customers through a combination of cultural persuasion, threats and coercion, Polaris says.
