Chilling

 

These are the words:

Professional massage services in Ellicott City, MD. We provide massage spa services including Deep Tissue, Swedish, Shiatsu Asian Massage.

These are the images:

This does not look like a professional massage operation. This looks like someone is trafficking children. At the very least, they are making it a point to sell the fantasy of young, submissive Asian women ready and waiting to meet your needs.

Years ago I attended a hearing of some sort and ended up hearing testimony about human trafficking in Howard County. Until that evening, I hadn’t really known it was a problem. I learned about how certain massage parlors are known to employ workers from other countries and steal their passports, restrict their movements. Their language skills may make it difficult to get help.

It was chilling. I didn’t want to believe it happened here in beautiful Howard County. 

Last night this bright and shiny, just-created Twitter account couldn’t have been more obvious in its intent. I felt sick just looking at it. Not only do the photos look digitally enhanced to accentuate a look of “sexually attractive underage girl” but the facial expressions are deeply concerning. Subservient, bordering on anxious. Someone who wouldn’t dare say no.

This one in particular:

What are they selling here? It doesn’t appear to be legitimate massage services or highly-trained expertise. All these photographs scream “I have no choice.”

At the recommendation of a friend, I shared this account and tagged the Howard County Police Department and the County Executive. I don’t think this is a new business. I think it’s just a new account looking to lure the sort of customer who’d be attracted to whatever…fantasy they’re selling. 

My concern is that they appear to be trafficking children. Even if they are not, is their business model based on having the kind of control over workers which takes away their right of consent or to come and go freely? That’s not just immoral. It’s clearly illegal.

I don’t want a business which depends on the degradation of women and encourages boundary violations to be able to do business here. Massage is an actual discipline which requires training and study. This is…what would you call it?

All I’ve got right now is chilling.