PANJIM: The North East Association Goa alleged sexual exploitation of North-East girls and women employed in a spa and massage parlour in Panjim.
Addressing media, NEA President Aghato Awomi said the owners of a famous spa in Panjim have a practice of sending the girls to massage clients at home and this makes them vulnerable to sexual exploitation. They said that if the girls refuse home massage, the owners threaten to deduct their salaries.
“Cross gender massage must be stopped as that makes the women vulnerable to be exploited. When the girls joined the spa in Panjim, it was a safe professional business, but soon found out they were expected to do home visits and the women employees were repeatedly forced to visit the homes of unknown individuals to give massage services,” said Awomi
Mayori Ruiva Shimray, women advisor, NEA said, “The women have complained to the management but the management is ignorant about the same issue. They only care about their customers.” The owner of the spa rubbished the allegations stating, “All these women employees had voluntarily resigned after receiving a better package from some other salon and spa. One union leader has even tried to blackmail me and they thought that we would ask them and beg them to come back. So 14 people left the outlet all of a sudden, of which one person has come back to us.”
