They're near coffee shops, laundromats, even schools. Many San Diego Massage parlors are offering services far beyond just a massage. And NBC 7 Investigates found a public website describing in graphic terms what is supposedly happening inside these locations.
Searching the website, NBC 7 Investigates found parlors listed in San Diego County and, according to the reviews on the website, of those parlors offer sex services for a price. In the event we become aware of any incident of trafficking, we take swift internal action and cooperate enthusiastically with state and federal law enforcement officials.
NBC 7 Investigates is providing the general location of the parlors, according to the RubMaps website, but is not releasing specific details on each parlor. Using ArcGis mapping software , NBC 7 Investigates found 16 of the parlors that are allegedly offering sex services for sale are within 1, feet of a public school. To see the map, look below or click here. Advocates for the women in these kinds of places say many are too afraid to ask for help, like year-old Yalin Shao from Taiwan.
But what she found was the job consisted of working for tips in exchange for sex. Advocates for victims of sex trafficking say from the moment victims respond to advertisements like the one Shao read, the organizations behind recruiting these victims will often use fraud, force, and coercion to keep them working in the massage parlors.
Polaris is a national organization formed with a goal of disrupting human sex trafficking. Yalin Shao said she used to work for a massage parlor in San Diego and provided outcall services to hotels across Southern California. The non-profit organization was then able to get Shao out of the criminal justice system and into a shelter and therapy program. I want to be successful. Shao has since returned home to Taiwan but warns the industry she left behind is still operating here in San Diego and the United States.
