The city of Pekin is tackling human trafficking with new regulations on Asian bodywork parlors.
The city council voted unanimously Monday to pass new regulations on massage parlors within the city’s borders. The new ordinance would require the businesses to submit to background checks and submit applications for establishment licenses to operate in Pekin.
The new ordinance was championed by Becky Saban, a licensed massage therapist from Pekin who also serves on the state Massage Licensing Board. She says that while there are many legitimate massage businesses in Central Illinois, she has also encountered some illicit operations that fly under the radar.
"The reality is, it’s been hiding right under our noses, and these people are being sex trafficked, and these girls are there not of their own volition," she said.
The Center for Prevention of Abuse said it helped 17 victims of labor or sex trafficking last year.
Currently, Illinois law exempts Asian bodywork parlors from state licensing requirements. State Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) and Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) recently helped pass legislation closing that loophole in an effort to crack down on human trafficking concerns. The bill is currently on Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
The city of Pekin is looking to take regulation of the businesses further. Fines for violating the new city ordinance on bodywork parlors could run from $100 to $1,000 a day per infraction.
The city of Peoria passed a similar ordinance last year.
