From Iceland — Big Sister Sends Out Tips For Spotting Illegal Massage

Big Sister Sends Out Tips For Spotting Illegal Massage

Published February 8, 2012

The feminist activist group Big Sister issued a statement which includes what they call the tell-tale signs that an ad for massage is really a front for prostitution.
Big Sister first made the news last year when they adopted the controversial strategy of placing numerous false ads for prostitution on some of Iceland’s better known dating websites, and then giving the police the names, e-mails and phone numbers of the men who contacted them for their services. They also harshly criticised the print media for running ads for massages that they contended were clearly fronts for prostitution.
Yesterday, Big Sister issued a statement saying that the police and the newspaper Fréttablaðið promising to work together to weed out ads for prostitution in the paper caused them to disappear for a time. The effect “has not been fruitful”, though, Big Sister says, as the ads are now back to their regular frequency in the paper.
Big Sister has therefore issued a small list of what they consider tell-tale signs that an ad for massage is just a front for prostitution:
1. The name of the company or the owner is not written in the ad.
2. The number provided is an unregistered mobile phone number.
3. The ad is in English.
4. No registered massage parlour is listed at the address given.
5. Any woman calling ordering a massage for herself will find no available times can be made.

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