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At Risk Of Abuse
He moves towards her with a reassuring smile, and starts to knead her shoulders. Before Seri knows it, his hands are rubbing her breasts. Shocked, she flinches, but reassures herself that this must be a normal part of the massage. When he moves to her thigh, and his hands edge higher and higher, she blurts out, "stop, that's too close". He apologises, saying he always massages his clients like that, and Seri settles back on the table, feeling vaguely uneasy but trying not to overreact.
A few months later, Seri receives a phone call from a policewoman explaining that they've found her name in the masseur's appointment book, and asking gently whether there was any inappropriate touching during her massage. Instantly, Seri feels sick. Every nagging suspicion, every feeling that she'd been taken advantage of, bubbles to the surface. She pulls the blanket up to her chest as she tells the policewoman what happened and as she hangs up, she realises her hands are shaking.
Seri discovered 37-year-old Damien Tektonopoulos, the man she allowed to touch her because she thought he was a qualified massage therapist, was nothing of the sort. He was a cleaner and elevator repairman, who set up the massage business to get his female victims – 14 in all – into a vulnerable position where he was able to sexually assault and, in two instances, digitally rape them. He was jailed for more than ten years in December. (He's now appealing his sentence).
Most women share that faith in health workers: every year, thousands have breast examinations, Pap tests, skin checks, massages – most without incident. Women are accustomed to undressing, exposing intimate body parts for examination, and submitting to touch in a way they wouldn't consider in any other context.
Women are also having much more contact with non-traditional health workers, whom they often find through informal channels, such as a box of business cards in a shop or a recommendation from an acquaintance. One in three women, mostly well-educated and high income, use alternative therapists, including chiropractors, naturopaths and acupuncturists, and young women are the biggest clients of the booming massage therapy industry.
But the fact women are so accustomed to putting their bodies in "expert" hands turns into a serious problem when the so-called professional is out for their own gratification. Newspapers are scattered with stories of assaults at the hands of health workers, but these are likely to be the tip of the iceberg: the majority aren't reported because victims feel foolish for having trusting the perpetrator, or embarrassed they somehow allowed the assault to happen. In some cases, the assaults are carried out against several women over many years without detection.
PROTECT YOURSELF
- Trust your instincts: If you're uncomfortable, ask questions – the answers may allay your concerns or speaking up might stop the untoward behaviour. If it doesn't help, get up and leave.
- Know what to expect: Research the procedure beforehand. The Australian Association of Massage Therapists, for example, (www.aamt.com.au) has guidelines pointing out it's normal to keep your underpants on.
- Know who you're dealing with: If the health worker is in a registered field, you can check with the board if they have any conditions on their practice. Ask people who have been to the worker before and try to use someone with a good reputation.
- Request a chaperone: You're entitled to ask for a nurse, friend or relative to be the room with you.
- If all else fails, complain: If you suspect something inappropriate has happened, don't keep it to yourself. Contact the police, registration board or health complaints authority in your state and talk to someone.
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