Casablanca Cracks Down on Illegal Massage Parlors Linked to Prostitution

These wellness and aesthetics centers are proliferating in certain areas of the prefecture of the Casablanca-Anfa districts. But most of these spaces "do not have the necessary authorizations to carry out this activity" and do not hesitate to transform them into places of prostitution, reports the daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, recalling that the competent authorities had conducted an investigation to fight against this phenomenon.

"Twenty-five massage parlors and Spas were identified by this investigation. They did not have the required authorizations, especially after the modifications of the plans of these spaces," indicate the sources of the daily. Some centers had an authorization to practice hairdressing activities and not massage. The same sources add that the employees of some of these centers "are not declared to the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) and are not even paid. They are content with the generous tips from their clients."

The president of the Istiqlal group on the Casablanca city council, Mustapha Haiker, questioned on social networks the president of the Maârif district council "on the vagueness surrounding the authorizations granted" to these massage centers and spas in the city. The elected official asked that "information relating to these salons, their number, their address, their area and the authorizations they have" be made public in order to put an end to the controversy surrounding these spaces.