Ads for sexual massages by 'young Asian girls' and boys on Gold Coast prompts concern.

By Elise Kinsella

A website advertising sexual massages from “young Asian girls” and boys on the Gold Coast has led to calls for tighter restrictions on the massage industry.

The ads describes services available from “stunning young, young girls”, “young Asian girls” and in one ad from a “young Asian BOY”.

Employees of massage parlours and brothels in Queensland must be aged 18 or over.

Gold Coast City councillor, Dawn Crichlow, said she was worried the ads might lead to children being pressured into the sex industry.

“People probably expect them to be under-age when they get there, and we all know what they are being used for,” she said.

Cr Crichlow said she is concerned about the safety of the young people working in massage parlours and called for the industry to be better regulated.

“It’s dangerous, it’s dangerous for the children to be in those premises,” she said.

“I want to see the police or the Queensland Government regulate the massage parlours like they did the brothels, where every person has to have a health check,” she said.

“So license them now before the Commonwealth Games.”

In a statement the Queensland Police said it’s against the law to solicit a sexual service from someone who is under the age of consent.

It said it would investigate any complaints.

Foreign workers could be exploited: Salvos

The Salvation Army’s Jenny Stanger runs the organisation’s Freedom Project which aims to end modern slavery.

She said her organisation’s main concerns were whether people in the advertisements were over the age of 18 and doing the work of their own free will.

“We do know that a lot of the people working in the sex industry are from other countries who may have language barriers, who may have a lack of knowledge of their rights,” she said.

Ms Stanger said there needed to be consultation with sex workers and business owners before new or greater regulation was introduced.

She pointed out that there are many industries where vulnerable people work, not just the sex industry.

“If you think about retail, restaurants, nail salons, 7-Eleven for example, there’s a lot of community connection and rights based connection for people who are here temporarily that’s not being made,” she said.

Ms Stanger said foreign workers in massage parlours needed support.

“It’s really about an intentional decision to connect temporary migrants to permanent people,” she said.

“So people are full human beings that are living a life in the community and not just trapped in their work.”

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This post originally appeared on ABC News.