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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- St. Joseph County leaders are taking new steps to curb human trafficking through tighter regulations on massage businesses.

A proposed ordinance, brought forward by the St. Joseph County Department of Health, is now under committee review. If passed, it would increase oversight of massage establishments in an effort to better protect public health and safety.

The push for reform follows a 2022 investigation in which local law enforcement raided four massage parlors in the county on suspicion of human trafficking. Authorities discovered that several women were living at the business full-time. Investigators later confirmed that some of them were being held a

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