Behind closed doors: what's being done?

Public Health's Tom Nadeau

by Nick Delgado

It's a known fact that prostitution is illegal on the island.  But as more and more of these massage parlors and therapeutic massage facilities open their doors, we sit down with the department that is responsible for giving these businesses licenses to operate and ensuring they are operating in accordance to Guam law.

But it appears a lack of resources and personnel, are excuses for the government's inaction to investigate what's happening behind closed doors.

While it's clear what's really going on inside massage parlors and therapeutic massage establishments around the island, Public Health Division of Environmental Health Administrator Tom Nadeau admits it's just not a priority.  Hye said, "Unfortunately, massage parlors - there's just not enough priority at the moment, but we do attempt to respond to all complaints."

He continued, "We look at massage parlors strictly from the environmental health perspective, which means we regulate it for sanitation.  We ensure that the employees have a health certificate to make sure the facility is in sanitary condition.  Granted, there are beliefs; within the majority of the population and even in our office, that it's simply a massage parlor is simply a facility where prostitution occurs."

Nadeau says the Division of Environmental Health only has nine field staff, three of whom are specifically assigned to inspect the 3,100+ health regulated facilities such as eating and drinking establishments, hotels and massage parlors.  While their mandated to inspect these facilities four times a year, Nadeau admits his staff haven't inspected many in years.

He told KUAM News, "I'm sure not all have been inspected in the last year or so. We prioritize inspections based on like the population that they serve, for example we focus on facilities that serve high-risk populations such as the elderly, the young, the compromised, the sick."

While they have received complaints of illegal activity occurring at massage parlors in the past and referred those to the proper authorities, even with the increase of therapeutic massages opening up around the island, Public Health hasn't received many complaints.  "Yes, we do find it curious that we find therapeutic massage in greater numbers than before," Nadeau said.

"It is a curios situation, but as I mentioned we're not the moral police nor the Guam Police Department.  But we're looking more at the sanitation and health perspective."

Maybe that's why Public Health requires those obtaining health certificates, specifically for massage parlors to not only get a tuberculosis test and a physical, but also get tests for sexually transmitted diseases.  "Essentially get a clearance from a physician that they don't have a communicable disease that could be possibly transmitted to their clients," said Nadeau.

Some may wonder how an individual could contract an STD from a simple massage if these establishments are in fact running legitimate businesses.  So while Public Health isn't regulating and inspecting, and it's obvious by our undercover footage of the paid sexual acts occurring behind closed doors, the question remains: why isn't more being done to rid the island of these establishments or to impose stricter requirements for licensure for legitimate massage businesses?

It's questions like these that Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco hopes to answer.

She recently formed a massage therapy and establishment task force collaborating with the Guam Allied Health Board, the Department of Revenue & Taxation, Public Health, and the Guam Police.  "All of these collaborative efforts should and will produce information request for proposed legislation, training and other means by which we can effectively enforce and prosecute cases that are involved with these types of activities," said Limtiaco.

The AG's task force is also supposed to focus on illegal acts of human or sex trafficking occurring within these establishments. 

As we continue our special series, join me tomorrow night as we talk to the police force to find out why they're turning a blind eye to what's happening at these businesses.