The grandmother of a 12-year-old Thai girl who was allegedly forced to work and provide sexual services at a Tokyo massage parlor told NHK she wants her granddaughter to come back home safely, as soon as possible.
NHK visited a village in northern Thailand where the girl grew up, and met the grandmother she was living with until she went to Japan.
“I’m so worried, but I don’t know what to do,” the grandmother said.
The girl arrived in June with her mother, who took her to the massage parlor in Tokyo. She later told police her mother ordered her to provide sexual services to customers and left the country in mid-July, leaving her alone.
Police have arrested the parlor’s owner for allegedly violating the Labor Standards Act. The law prohibits the employment of individuals under the age of 15. They are also looking into the involvement of the girl’s mother, who is currently being detained in Taiwan.
The grandmother said the mother had gone to work in Bangkok and overseas to support her family.
“She started to work in the construction industry when she was 16. Her friends invited her to work at a massage business when she was 17 or 18,” she said.
But the grandmother said she did not know her granddaughter was forced to provide sexual services in Japan. She said the mother told her she left the girl in Japan because she could not afford the air ticket to take her back to Thailand. The mother also told her she was planning to bring the girl back as soon as she had the money.
“I want my daughter and granddaughter to return safely,” the grandmother said.
The case has attracted a lot of attention in Thailand as well. Local media have reported on the possible systematic involvement of brokers.
Thai and Japanese police are likely to cooperate on an investigation. Thai police arrived in Japan on Tuesday and will hold talks with Japanese officers.
AloJapan.com