We were all saddened and horrified by last night’s mass murder of a man and seven women, six of whom were Asian, at three massage parlors in Atlanta. This tragedy is another example of both the violence against women during the pandemic and the increased violence against Asian Americans. The suspected killer claims the shootings were not racially motivated but that he was a sex addict who wanted to punish those he saw as providing a place for him to feed his addiction.
Polaris reports that there are over 9,000 illicit massage businesses and that many of the women who work therein are victims of sex trafficking (Polaris, 2018, p. 7). The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence reports that 85% of 10,074 sex trafficking survivors are women. Of the 3,636 sex trafficking survivors for which race/ethnicity and gender are known, 27% are Asian.
The massage industry is a pink-collar industry. In 2019, over 82% of massage therapists identified as women.
Figure 1. Gender of Therapists
Source: Calculations by Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race, using 2019 American Community Survey
One out of ten therapists identified as Asian, and 75% of Asian therapists are women.
Figure 2. Race, Ethnicity, and Gender of Therapists
Source: Calculations by Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race, using 2019 American Community Survey
The majority of Asian massage therapists are from China, and so are the women who reported being victims of sex trafficking via illicit massage businesses (Polaris, 2018, p. 19). However, four of the women killed in Atlanta were of Korean descent, the second-largest Asian group to report being victims of sex trafficking via illicit massage businesses. Asian women who are victims of sex trafficking are already vulnerable, as many have unstable immigration status and language barriers and are economically insecure. The racist language of government officials (China virus and Kung flu) has heightened their vulnerability.
Source: Calculations by Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race, using 2019 American Community Survey
As we mourn the death of these eight victims, it is important to remember that such words as “model minority” and “China virus” have consequences that can be deadly.
Condolences,
Rhonda
#StopAsianHate
