Human Trafficking
Before I moved to Los Angeles I didn't think about human trafficking much. When I did imagine it, what I would piece together in my mind from movies and random bits of news was the picture of a 20-something Eastern European woman. Since I've moved to Los Angeles, I've become involved with a group called Just One, which has shattered that image all together. First of all, being on the West Coast, many of the victims of human trafficking are children and young women from Asia and Latin America who have been promised work or sold/abducted and have made their way into this country illegally. According to the State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report 2008, the primary sources in FY 2007 of victims were Thailand, Mexico, Guatemala, Philippines, and China (p53).
As a mom of two boys, it would seem like I wouldn't have to worry. But any mom, or indeed any decent human being, when she hears about child exploitation of the worst kind would feel compelled to do something after they hear about what goes on in our neighborhoods without our knowledge. As part of a Just One event, I watched a movie depicting child prostitution of young Asian girls in the United States. I didn't think anything like this existed in my section of suburbia, but then I saw ads for massage parlors in the sports section of the Daily Breeze.
There were several questionable ads, but one that really raised flags highlighted that they had "young, Latina/Asian staff" available from 8AM-3AM!!!!!!! (sic) I have a hard time believing that this is a legitimate business staffed by licensed masseurs. Does anyone really need a massage at 3 AM (7 exclamation points)? Why would they be advertising they have young, Latina/Asian staff if it is a legitimate business? Wouldn't they instead be advertising that they have experienced licensed professionals? I contacted the Daily Breeze several times, leaving messages each time asking them to explain the ads to me, but no one returned my calls. I contacted the head of Just One and also the local community affairs officer. They both said that there was nothing they could do because the ads were protected by First Amendment rights. I suppose one way you can look at the massage parlor ads is that these ads are helping the police vice squad stay on top of the issue by painting red arrows to the most serious offenders. Completely frustrated, I felt like I had to do something and visited the massage parlor down the street to check if there was anything suspicious about it. It didn't seem like there was anything shady happening there.
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