Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
India

'Banning cross-gender massages won't stop prostitution in Goa'

Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Jul, 2014 01:22 PM
    Banning cross-gender massages is not a sure way of preventing prostitution in the privacy of spa and salon cubicles, because of swelling gay and lesbian communities, leading spa operators in Goa claim.
     
    Speaking to IANS Monday on the sidelines of a media event, Sumit Bhobe, general secretary of the Goa Salon and Spa Association (GSSA), said the spa industry in Goa has been tarnished unnecessarily because of rogue operators who were carrying out "shady" activities in the garb of spas and other therapy outlets.
     
    "Banning cross-gender massaging will not guarantee stopping of illegal activity -- with the gay and lesbian community on the rise, sexual favours are no longer a heterosexual domain, hence these may continue even in a same-gender scenario," Bhobe said.
     
    "We offer customers a gender choice. Gender segregation would actually mean discrimination against women, who form the bulk of the spa and salon industry."
     
    "There are bad apples everywhere. the government should crack down on them," Bhobe added.
     
    The association's statement comes in wake of severe criticism of the spa and massage centre operators. 
     
    One of the contentious issues between the government and the spa operators is the practice of cross massages i.e. male massagers for women patrons and female masseuses for men at the spas and salons.
     
    Bhobe claims that the association was started with eleven members, with an aim to create awareness of the spa industry and push the concerns of the genuine spa and salon operators.
     
    Goa is one of the leading beach tourism destinations in the state and has seen mushrooming of lifestyle oriented spas and salons especially in the coastal areas in the last decade.
     

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Modi faces sea of expectations from diaspora, India-watchers

    Modi faces sea of expectations from diaspora, India-watchers
    With Narendra Modi taking over as prime minister, a host of expectations, recommendations and advice is pouring in for the BJP leader from overseas Indians.

    Modi faces sea of expectations from diaspora, India-watchers

    Narendra Modi meets SAARC leaders

    Narendra Modi meets SAARC leaders
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday met Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives and Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka here Tuesday.

    Narendra Modi meets SAARC leaders

    PM Modi's Cabinet: Jaitley gets Finance, Defence; Rajnath gets Home, Sushma Foreign

    PM Modi's Cabinet: Jaitley gets Finance, Defence; Rajnath gets Home, Sushma Foreign
    Arun Jaitley has turned out to be the most important person in the new government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with three heavy portfolios of finance, defence and corporate affairs, it was announced Tuesday.

    PM Modi's Cabinet: Jaitley gets Finance, Defence; Rajnath gets Home, Sushma Foreign

    The India that Narendra Modi inherits

    The India that Narendra Modi inherits
    India is looking forward to the tenure of its 15th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, with the expectation that he would take the country out of the muddle and disorder that is driven by deeply ingrained thoughts and beliefs. We, as Indians would have to fight battles of the mind to overcome the challenges we face.

    The India that Narendra Modi inherits

    From wannabe Miss India to cabinet minister - phenomenal rise of Smriti Irani

    From wannabe Miss India to cabinet minister - phenomenal rise of Smriti Irani
    From promoting beauty products, to contesting the Miss India beauty pageant, to becoming the country's most sought after 'bahu', and on Monday being sworn in as a minister in the Narendra Modi government - 38-year-old Smriti Irani's life has been a saga of meteoric rise to fame and success.

    From wannabe Miss India to cabinet minister - phenomenal rise of Smriti Irani

    Sushma Swaraj - an orator and a prominent face of BJP

    Sushma Swaraj - an orator and a prominent face of BJP
    A top woman leader of the BJP and one of its best orators, Sushma Swaraj has blazed some records in her over three decade-old political career including being the youngest cabinet minister in Haryana and the first woman chief minister of Delhi.

    Sushma Swaraj - an orator and a prominent face of BJP