Happy Endings a Must? Sexual Harassment is 'Part of The Business' Canadian Police Officer Tells Massage Therapist

A massage therapist who wanted to file a complaint against a customer who masturbated in front of her was told by a Canadian police officer that it was a "part of the business". When Claudia Cavaliere went to Montreal police to report the incident of sexual abuse, the officer on duty made multiple attempts to dissuade her from lodging a formal complaint.

Cavaliere who had recently graduated from a massage therapist program said that a client requested a full-body massage and then proceeded to masturbate in front of her.

She quickly left the room and a staff asked the man to leave. According to a CBC report, Cavaliere said, "I couldn't speak. I was hyperventilating. I was crying. I was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, panicking."

And when she proceeded to file a report, the police officer said that there are fewer chances of legal proceedings being initiated into the incident and the accused would be asked to pay just a minor fine. She recorded a portion of her interview with the officer on her phone.

According to The Guardian, the officer replied, "If you want to be a massage therapist, prepare yourself. I know a friend of mine who owns a massage place and would say it happens all the time."

Cavaliere responds saying, "It's not part of the business." Trying to justify how 'happy endings' should be expected at her workplace, the officer further adds, "Prepare yourself. Don't get emotional with this." Canada's largest association representing massage therapists, Registered Massage Therapist’s Association of Ontario condemned the incident. Meanwhile, Montreal police said that they would look into the incident.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 08, 2018 05:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).