Modern slavery and nail bars

[libertyonhertravels]

Slavery report sounds alarm over Vietnamese nail bar workers

I just wanted to link this here as hopefully it will help draw attention to this issue among people who use nail bars. Please note quote below and if you have concerns report them.

You can report concerns online here

The public need to recognise that there is a risk with nail bars, so that they are aware of the signs,” he said. Warning signals might include very young-looking members of staff, low prices, rapid turnover of staff, controlling behaviour by senior staff or a complete language barrier with the nail technician.

Look at the venue, look at the conditions staff are working in, look at the costs. Ask: is it feasible to run those premises with those staff members and those prices? These things may stack up; you should contact the police, or the local authority, crimestoppers or the modern slavery helpline.

Some of these nail bars are also used as a "front" for brothels - they are used for money laundering and the young women (and men) exploited twice over. It is truly awful.

Wow!
No idea!

It is awful Jackie

Dowser you are not the only person who doesn't know. The language barrier makes it especially difficult as apart from pointing at colour of varnish lots of customers have zero communication with the nail technicians in these places.

It is awful. The local ones are, I suspect, no different to the national 'standard'. Filthy and what seem like unsafe working conditions, lots of fumes and badly ventilated spaces. Cash only and there is almost always a creepy white bloke lurking around 'managing' the place.

I've been to one once. Never again. The drills wrecked my nails. I now have a lovely lady who comes to my house every 2 weeks to soak off shellac and reapply. She charges £20 which is reasonable and the results are very good. She only uses a nail file (no electric drill) and my nails are in much better condition now. I worried about slavery and maltreatment of the workers at the nail bar.

Well this makes sense, I always wondered how on earth these places survived. Now I know!

I saw this thread yesterday but didn't have time to read the article. Very disturbing - thanks for linking liberty. (Good luck on your travels too!)

Thanks Floisme

I keep telling people in my town this on the "spotted" facebook page.

There is no need whatsoever to use them, there are plenty of self employed local ladies who are very good at doing nails and are cheaper than the nail bars too.

I absolutely hate that people are still using these nail bars. And don't even get me started on the slaves used at car wash services.

I keep telling people in my town this on the "spotted" facebook page.

There is no need whatsoever to use them, there are plenty of self employed local ladies who are very good at doing nails and are cheaper than the nail bars too.

I absolutely hate that people are still using these nail bars. And don't even get me started on the slaves used at car wash services.

Why don't immigration just go into each one and ask to see papers?

I have to admit, this has always confused me. In the nearest big town to me, there are at least six nail bars within close proximity. They all seem fairly clean and the staff seem quite happy and chatty. I assume they are Vietnamese, although I couldn't be certain. Would they be here legally? Does it just happen that there are large Vietnamese communities in certain cities and they happen to set up nail bars?

It seems odd to me that they are trading day in day out, and no one is checking the status of the people working there. Anyone from immigration or the police could walk in any time. Can I assume that they have already been checked and found to be above board? I don't use nail bars any more, as it's cheaper and easier to do my own nails, but it's always been something I've wondered about. Oh and I've never seen a "creepy white guy" in any of them. It generally appears to be a woman in charge.

womblingthree I have no doubt that there are places that are above board and as with everything it's important not to generalise. That's why I linked the quote in the opening post about the signs to look for such as cash only premises, unhappy staff, high turnover etc.

I assume police etc need evidence to enter a business and check. Just raiding every nail bar would be hugely discrimatory and unfair to people who are trading and employing people legitimately.

@WomblingThree I agree, there's one near my house and although it's crossed my mind I think it must be fairly legit, the lady in charge is an older woman, very sort of matronly with the younger ones, they do only take cash though but it's immaculate and always the same staff who seem happy enough and chat, albeit in broken English, they seem to offer proper benefits; last time I was there a lady came in with a pram and all the staff came to look at the baby who seemed about 1, said she was there to discuss coming back after maternity.
It's very hard though and I know a few that have more of the dodgy traits, they're in very public places though and don't hide. It baffles me because i can't see how they're not shut down IF that's what they're doing there

Two were shut down in my town for this!

I've posted about this before, but there is one in our town that does get raided by immigration regularly, and it seems to make absolutely no difference - it closes down for a few days after each 'visit', then reopens as if nothing has happened. I don't know how they're getting away with it, (and yes, I do judge anyone who still uses them when it's blatantly obvious what's going on). It makes me despair - I did a project on human trafficking for my degree recently, and the accounts I had to read were horrific and heartbreaking. It's time people woke up.

Well I use mine. I live above it. £12 a manicure and that's the same price as anywhere in my town. The people are nice they don't all speak perfect English even the ones that have put their children through schooling here. I don't think it's a sign of being trafficked necessarily. I've never seen a dodgy white bloke. As far as I know it's owned by a man and his sister and the workers are 20's plus. They just look younger as they all have slender frames. I've never seen it raided and if it was suspect I assume it would've been reported. There two more down the street they are just as nice with the latest massage chairs and tv screens. TBH I find it hard to believe that they are all involved in dodgy goings on right under everyone's noses.

I agree sexanddrugs but can you explain what several people have asked? If every single nail bar is dodgy, how are they all managing to get away with operating in plain sight?

Rather than "reporting concerns" maybe it would be more use to lobby MPs to have more resources directed to actually inspecting and regulating nail bars.

I'm off to
Mine now to collect a parcel as they always take them in. I must ask if they are bring trafficked .....

I don't think they're all dodgy, definitely not. By contrast, there's another one in my town that seems completely above board, despite also being exclusively staffed by young Asian girls with poor English skills. They never get visited by the HO - I assume this is because they're doing things by the book. My project was centred more on the sex trade, but nail bars came up a lot in my research as places which are commonly used for slave labour, and also as a 'front' for even murkier practices.

I learned a bit about it in my last job as I worked in the offices of a factory with mostly Bulgarian staff.

Thing is, most of them have the correct papers to be here. It's once they get here that the modern slavery starts. A "boss" offers them a job at the factory, helps them arrange the correct visas, documents, passage housing etc. Then when they are here their passports are taken away, all of is taken away, if they are paid in cash that is taken away and when/if they get a bank account then the card and pin are taken away.

The house will be shared accommodation owned by the "boss" and the "boss" will control all movement. It can be hard to prove they are trafficked as they are here and working legally.

At least, that's my understanding of it.