Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Illicit massage parlors are reputed to be fronts for human trafficking. That is not new information to you.
But you’ve never heard it laid out by a fourteen-year-old girl.
“All it takes is one wrong person to decide that you would be a good person for them to traffic,” said Vaida Keen at the last city council meeting, reading from an essay she wrote. “Experts say that traffickers look for psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of social safety net, etc. Many of these traits can be found in children, which is why many victims are children or young adults.”
Her presentation came after frequent public commenter Ken Pacha voiced his frustration.
“Why don’t we just bar the doors? Chain the doors?” he asked. “They’re operating against all known guidelines in regards to the ordinance that you guys have enacted and the work that you’ve put in to get them shut down.”
The city, requiring licenses, closed eleven parlors a few weeks ago, but one or more are reportedly still operating.
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