Tougher rules and regulations of massage parlours urged

 

 

In his petition to parliament on December 8, MP Thaung Kyaw said the tougher rules and regulations should reduce the number of illegal massage parlours in the region.

"Residents of Yangon go to massage parlours to relax and reduce their stress. Massage parlours also create job opportunities. But the owners of illegal massage parlours only care about their business because no regulations are applied to them. People who visit these massage parlours and their owners are breaking the law. Officials have paid no attention to them, so they think they are not punishable,” said the MP.

Illegal massage parlours are often located outside hotels, allowing patrons to pay for sex. 

Some of these sex parlours are staffed by trafficked women from underdeveloped areas who have been tricked into coming to Yangon by traffickers pretending to offer them jobs at beauty salons. 

“They arrive in Yangon and are sent to massage parlours. Most of the massage parlours are named and disguised as beauty salons. The women have no choice but to work. They have to work all night long. They rest for only a short time in the morning. They earn just 20 per cent of the fees paid by the customer, while the traffickers take the rest. Thus, they can rarely afford to buy their freedom from the traffickers. They are treated like prisoners, and the government cannot protect them with the existing laws. So the Yangon Region government should deeply consider passing this proposal,” the MP said.