The illegal brothels hiding in your neighbourhood
Is there an illegal brothel near your child’s school? Sex dens masquerading as massage parlours are operating in every single Melbourne suburb — some with close links to organised crime groups and bikie gangs. These are the telltale signs.
Law & Order
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Illegal brothels are operating in every single Melbourne suburb amid a boom in the illicit sex trade, senior police say.
The Herald Sun can reveal scores of the outlaw operations have set up close to schools, child care centres and other places frequented by minors.
Many of the those working in the brothels are foreign women lured to Melbourne by the prospect of studying here.
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Swank apartments in the city and eastern suburbs are also being used by business owners, some with close links to organised crime groups and bikie gangs.
Officers from the Sex Industry co-ordination Unit (SICU) have in recent weeks moved to close three businesses in Malvern, Hawthorn and McKinnon, all believed to be connected to the same operators.
Many illegal brothels operate as massage parlours, sometimes using a distinctive neon sign to attract customers.
Investigators have spoken to at least 500 female workers, mainly from China, Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand, but have been largely met with reluctance to co-operate.
Inspector Jodie Buckley, head of the SICU, said that “without a shadow of a doubt” illegal brothels operate in every suburb in Melbourne and many of the women were in a situation of “debt bondage” and have had their passports held by unscrupulous pimps.
Since July last year, Victoria Police has visited 30 licensed brothels and 103 massage parlours.
Twenty nine of those massage parlours have been issued a notice, prescribed by a magistrate, to say it has been designated an illegal brothel.
“Ninety four per cent of those 29 have closed down since that prescription has been put in place,” Insp Buckley said.
“Another 30 venues have closed down while we are investigating them.”
Police have another eight cases pending against massage parlours.
There are about 90 legal brothels in Victoria but police believe there are hundreds more illegal establishments across the state.
Officers from the SICU have also briefed the Real Estate Institute of Victoria to make them aware of how illegal sex operators set up shop in apartments.
Police are often met with a wall of silence when attempting to get information from sex workers, making it difficult to move investigations forward.
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“Often they are on a student visa. They aren’t forthcoming. In the legal (sex) industry you can sit down and have a conversation with a sex worker and they are quite open about why they are there,” Insp Buckley said.
“In this environment there is a certain level of paranoia and a mistrust of police.”
Operators of illegal brothels often pay amounts of up to $10,000 for women to come to Australia. They then confiscate their passports until they have done enough illicit sex work to repay the debt.
Parlours which have large stickers in the windows with images depicting people getting massages are often operating as illegal brothels, according to police.
“We want to get intelligence about these places, so we can build a bit of a picture,” Insp Buckley said.
Insp Buckley said illegal brothels which are located near schools and child care centres are a top priority for her team.
“Our objective is not to work on the workers … the operators of these places are our target,” Insp Buckley said.
“Without a doubt (illegal sex work) has grown both in metropolitan and rural areas. It is such a simple model. The incredible thing is there is such a demand for it. That is what has amazed me the most. If these guys would just go to the legal industry it would be much better for everyone.”
Insp Buckley said police also want to encourage sex workers who have been raped or assaulted to come forward.
“There is a stigma attached to sex working,” she said.
“In the legal environment it is legitimate work. Sex workers can be quite proud of the work they do, although they might not be out to their families and friends.
“We would really like to remove that stigma and remove the barriers to them reporting things to police.”