In the past few decades, the sex industry has become easier to conceal, in part because of the internet. Back channels open pathways for anonymous transactions. Peoria Public Radio reports on one particular illicit business that's operating in many communities, including this one, in broad daylight. Massage parlors. Not the kind with soothing waterfalls and facials. Communities across the US are just beginning to understand how to crack down on illicit massage businesses that are often part of a network, linked to larger cities, like Chicago or New York.
They are trying to survive. Polaris estimates there are as many as 9, illicit massage businesses in the US, and in Illinois. It looks like there are at least 20 in Peoria and Tazewell Counties. The internet is typically the first place buyers go to find massage places selling sex. Sites, like Backpage and RubMaps, let paid users review businesses and describe what services they received.
They rate the provider, usually a woman, on physical features, like eye and hair color, as well as more obscene details describing her proportions. She spoke a little English. She could tell I was willing so, she got some oil and took care of business. These are some of the cleaner snippets posted from about reviews of the 20 businesses listed in Peoria, Pekin, Morton and East Peoria.
Heartland Alliance, based in Chicago, serves as a pass through for federal dollars to organizations in Illinois to help communities address human trafficking. Earlier this year, Heartland awarded a three-year grant to the Center for Prevention of Abuse in Peoria. Massage parlors also present a variety of legal conundrums. Peoria county Sheriff Brian Asbell says his agency takes all complaints seriously:.
Most of the working women are recruited in their home countries, often China or Korea, and brought to the US, owing layers of debt to their trafficker. We need to ask them what they need. They need somewhere to sleep tonight. Nine times out of ten, Flynn says, victims say yes.
