WJAR β Thirteen women have been arrested in connection to an investigation into possible prostitution at two Pawtucket massage parlors, according to authorities. Police on Friday said they executed court-ordered search warrants at the Harmony Spa at 11 Benefit St.
The department said they started the investigation on Monday after they received multiple complaints from residents and business owners about suspected prostitution at the spas.
The arrests come about three years after the Pawtucket City Council passed an ordinance to crack down on massage parlors to prevent prostitution. Both Harmony and Far East sued the city. I don't bring her to the park. Her neighbors told NBC 10 Kwon does own the spa and often has her employees sleep at her house.
According to village records, Kwon attempted to open a spa in Lansing, Illinois but the village denied the request over the prostitution concerns. John Canole, who is the chief strategy officer for Day One, an organization that helps victims of sexual violence and human trafficking, issued a statement after learning about the arrests.
Canole said he wanted to remind the public that while most people tend to think of human trafficking "as girls in chains and physical violence, the bonds that tie them are the invisible bonds of psychological manipulation. People think this is a victimless crime, but most of the time these women are victims, forced or coerced into performing sex acts without a way out," Canole told NBC We see frequently women living in these massage parlors, forced to move from state to state in order to not attract attention.
