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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder if the people in nail shops are trafficked

70 replies

Metoodear · 21/05/2018 20:32

That’s it really getting my feet done and their seems to be a high proportion of Asians doing nails now I will fully concede that this just might be a thing to go into my nails are really nice however I always wondered if they may be trafficed

Please done flame me Blush

OP posts:
Florene · 21/05/2018 21:57
Florene · 21/05/2018 21:59

m.youtube.com/watch?v=yAMd2mC3FJA

Florene · 21/05/2018 22:03
Notcontent · 21/05/2018 22:07

I have been wondering about this too. Recently, in an effort to look after myself a bit more and feel better about myself, I have started getting my nails done regularly. All the places near me have Vietnamese workers, and many don’t seem to speak English, and they only take cash!!!

PaulHollywoodsSexGut · 21/05/2018 22:12

Absolutely. I will never forget the day I was outside one of the many nail bars in my part of London and Immigration obviously did an unannounced check.

You could see everyone shit themselves and they kept two “officers” there whilst the owner/manager was told in no uncertain terms to find the staff’s papers in the next two hours when aforementioned Immigration was going to return.

You know when you just KNOW something pretty bad is happening? That.

Needless to say the place no longer exists.

Ps: it’s not just girls, it’s young men too.

elephantoverthehill · 21/05/2018 22:17

We have a hand car wash nearby. They have been busted for illegal immigrants once but it is always one guy who takes the money. Should I be concerned?

Original poster
Metoodear · 21/05/2018 22:20

Phew not just me then looking for a nail bar with just English people is not easy I am not actually sure boandied nail places exist

OP posts:
Moussemoose · 21/05/2018 22:24

Some of the trafficked youngsters go on to work in legitimate nail bars. The important points are can you ask for them by name. Are they learning English, can you pay by card.?

MrsMarigold · 21/05/2018 22:30

A few years ago we were renting out a room in our house a very dodgy bloke turned up with two girls who looked about 15 and said he wanted them to share the room and they would be "working" most of the time, I'm sure they were trafficked, it was horrible, poor things were dressed in very skimpy clothes. Very unpleasant

Dozyoldtwonk · 21/05/2018 22:39

I’m not sure whether it falls into the same camp but I live in rural East Anglia & often are people working all hours out in the fields - picking veg and so on - looking very overworked, underpaid & generally not well looked after. I worry for them.

Etino · 21/05/2018 22:41

@Metoodear
I’m not sure that looking for an English only place is the solution. If all the nail bars closed down, the workers won’t shrug and go back home, they’ll be forced into more precarious work.

catandtheteapot · 21/05/2018 22:57

It’s horrible to realise that there are people living in our communities who don’t have basic freedoms and are being forced to live like this. It’s awful Sad

Pinga · 21/05/2018 23:13

I live opposite a hand car wash. I would agree that trafficking is involved. For a while they lived in the building fulltime (the bit which would have been a shop when it was a petrol station) At that time one was female and would cook some food outside on a burner.

They work incredibly hard but Im sure they dont earn enough to live anywhere except a house of multiple occupancy.

Fabellini · 21/05/2018 23:19

There’s a nail place in our town which has been raided by immigration more than once, and had people (owners?) in court on money laundering charges.
However, it’s still open - I have no idea how that works!
Some of the regular salons in town have posted photos on their Facebook pages and the like, of peoples infected and damaged nails from having them done at this place....I feel so sorry for the girls who work there, but genuinely don’t understand how it’s still operating.

Florene · 21/05/2018 23:22

@elephantoverthehill This is one situation where calling 101 to 'log your concerns' is actually appropriate.

kabanner · 21/05/2018 23:30

And also report here

www.gla.gov.uk/report-issues/

Gibble1 · 21/05/2018 23:31

When we did our update training at work about vulnerable people, we covered trafficking and modern day slaves.
You’re correct that a lot of car washes and nail bars are a front.
In the nail bars, a lot of the girls have to work at the nail bar all day and then are sold as prostitutes at night. Awful situation.
We were advised to avoid these places and to escalate any concerns we had to the police.
I can’t remember the name of the group but our training department are run by legendary trainers and will always go above and beyond if we raise a concern about anything at all so we can always ask them.

Lockheart · 21/05/2018 23:40

You're not wrong about nail bars - they can often be fronts for trafficking, money laundering etc.

Your best bet is to get your nails done either by an independent home-based beautician, at department stores, or at an established salon where they also have other businesses (for example, my chain of hairdressers usually have nail bars).

Soundsgood · 21/05/2018 23:49

However, it’s still open - I have no idea how that works!

Backhanders.

SomethingOnce · 21/05/2018 23:55

I had my first ever mani five years ago, then read an article about the nail bars. Not had one since because all but one of our nearest ones looks dodgy and, surprise surprise, the one that doesn’t is much more expensive.

DaisysStew · 22/05/2018 00:04

I don’t know about nail bars but I worked in a car wash and know a lot of people who run them. None of the workers were trafficked (I also knew them outside of work so can say that with certainty) but they were all asylum seekers waiting on a decision so couldn’t work legally and the people running the car washes took advantage of this by paying ridiculously low wages (usually around £2-3 per hour) and insisted on 7 days a week, no holidays etc. So whilst they weren’t trafficked they were very much exploited and the minute they got their leave to remain they left.

CaptainCabinets · 22/05/2018 00:05

My nail shop is run by a Vietnamese lady, it’s her own business and all the ladies and chaps working in there have been here years and have kids born here etc. I’m sure some are trafficked, but not all.

Car washes though, almost certainly.

EachandEveryone · 22/05/2018 00:10

It cant possibly be all the Vietnamese nailbars though. Mine is busy all the time. You go in they are friendly, related to each other and they have a laugh with each other. No, they dont take cards but they look like they enjoy their work. They dont act as if they are trafficked and its the same as the other one up the road. I dont believe that they could be blatantly be on a busy high street under everyones noses like that for years and be trafficking.

DaisysStew · 22/05/2018 00:14

However, it’s still open - I have no idea how that works!

“Change of ownership” is the usual reason - put it in your spouses/family’s/friends name and hey presto, business as usual.

Paperdolly · 22/05/2018 07:21

My mother lives in a small countryside village that has a car hand wash group who all look unhappy and the whole group change every so often. I've stopped using them when I go see her but I often wonder if they're 'hiding' with the small village scenario.