Past 10 yrs’ details of massage parlour inspections not available, says DHS - Times of India

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Panaji: The state government has decided to act against illegal massage parlours and spas, but the directorate of health services (DHS) does not have details of the number of inspections it has conducted on such establishments along with Goa police in the past 10 years to crack down on illegalities.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday directed Goa police to immediately start cracking down on illegal massage parlours across the state.
According to the DHS, 166 massage parlours and spas are registered with it.
Replying to the RTI filed by ARZ director Arun Pandey to find out how many inspections have been conducted on massage parlours and spas in the past 10 years, deputy director (DHS) Dr Ira Almeida said, “Inspections are carried out as per Section 29 A of the Goa Public Health (Amendment) Act, 2014, wherein the health officer or any officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police shall inspect the massage parlour from time to time…”
Almeida said that the DHS does not have copies of the reports on inspections conducted on massage parlours and spas in the past 10 years. “Not available in this office,” she said.
In 2018, following complaints from women masseurs that they are forced to provide cross-massage services to clients, the state government had decided to crack down on spas and salons across the state providing such services. “As per the law, a man can massage a man and a woman can massage a woman. No cross-massage is allowed,” health minister Vishwajit Rane had said.
Arz, an anti-human trafficking NGO, which assists police in combating sex trafficking in Goa, in a letter to chief minister Pramod Sawant stated that girls are forced to perform cross massage, conduct commercial sexual activities at parlours, are sent to places outside the parlour to provide cross massage services, and that employers keep their passports in their custody and refuse to return them, thus forcing them to work.
“Massage parlours and spas do not report cases of sexual harassment by clients of female masseurs and force the girls employed to extort money from clients,” Pandey said. He suggested that the state government amend the present law to allow strict action against such illegalities.
“The present penalty for cross massage or violation of provisions laid down in the Goa Public Health Act is not deterrent enough to control cross massage. We suggest that there should be a provision for severe punishment,” Pandey said.

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