Thai girl abandoned by mum in Japan to work in ‘massage parlour’
On 4 Nov, police raided a massage parlour in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward and discovered a 12-year-old Thai girl working in its premises.
She had been abandoned by her mother in a suspected case of human trafficking described by a senior investigator as “egregious”.
Tokyo police have obtained an arrest warrant for the mother on 12 Nov.
The woman, who is in her 20s, has been detained in Taiwan after overstaying her permit.
According to Asahi Shimbun, police have also arrested the 51-year-old massage parlour manager.
Girl left in Japan to provide sexual services
The 12-year-old girl — who does not speak Japanese — arrived in the country with her mum in late June on a tourist visa valid for 15 days.
Upon their arrival, the girl was taken straight to the massage parlour.
Her mother told her she would be working there and even taught her how to provide sexual services to male customers.
That night, the pair slept together in the building housing the shop, but then her mum disappeared the following morning.
Abandoned alone in a foreign country, the 12-year-old had no choice but to continue working for the shop that provided her basic needs such as shelter and food.
According to Japan Times, the young girl serviced 60 customers in about a month.
The mother reportedly only visited her daughter once in three months.
During this time, the girl begged to be brought home to Thailand via social media.
Authorities looking to arrest mother of abandoned girl
The girl’s case first came to light in September, when she visited the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau seeking help.
Source: Nippon.com
Following the raid in November, she was taken into police custody.
Authorities are now working to provide a way for the girl to return home.
They are also investigating communications between the massage parlour and the mother, suspecting that an organisation that gotten them connected.
In addition to the underaged girl, the massage parlour also employed numerous other Thai women.
The establishment provided sexual services to its customers, provided they pay an extra fee.
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Featured image adapted from Asahi Shimbun and NHK.
