Together4Bristol : Hand Car Wash Sector Rife with Exploitation

Hand Car Wash Sector Rife with Exploitation

Mobilising the Church to help end modern slavery.

Safe Car Wash App campaign

This month, we focus on the presence of exploitation and slavery in the hand car wash sector and how consumers can help by providing vital intelligence. We also share the inspirational story of Antoinette Daniel, the founder of Just Helpers.

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New research to mark the sixth birthday of the Safe Car Wash App

Data reveals sector is awash with exploitation

The risk of slavery in hand car washes across the UK has been exposed by new data from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and The Clewer Initiative. It reveals a prevalence of indicators that make exploitation and slavery more likely.

Researchers at NTU had expected to be able to segment the hand car wash sector and identify businesses that were more or less likely to use unlawful and potentially criminal modern slavery practices on their sites.

However, their analysis – which coincides with the sixth anniversary of The Clewer Initiative’s Safe Car Wash App - reveals that the correlation between the location of a hand car wash and the presence of slavery is not strong enough to eliminate any specific business and the risk is everywhere. Therefore, consumers and police officers in every community need to be vigilant to spot the signs of slavery and other unlawful behaviour – no hand car wash is immune.

Special push for the month of May

As the Safe Car Wash App turns 6, please help us increase downloads and reports. This is a vital way we can support the police and GLAA in eliminating slavery.

Download the app today - App store or Google Play
Use the app whenever you visit a hand car wash
Tell your friends and colleagues about the app
Put something on your socials - use our assets or create your own posts!

Our app helps the GLAA identify slavery and exploitation

Keith* reported his concerns about a local hand car wash through the Safe Car Wash App. The Modern Slavery Helpline followed up and was able to establish additional details about the situation. Another report about the same business had been lodged via the Unseen app.

Both consumers reported that the cost for an interior and exterior wash was extremely cheap, at less than £15, and payments were taken by the owner in cash. The five Romanian workers indicated in the situation wore casual clothes and did not have any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They looked frightened of the business’ owner, who was aggressive and shouted at them whilst they worked. The workers appeared to live on site at the car wash and looked malnourished.

Recognising the situation as concerning, the Helpline referred the information to the police, who conducted a joint investigation with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). One of the workers was supported to leave the car wash immediately and received help to return to his home country. Multi-agency visits continued to take place and encouragingly the standards at the car wash have since improved.

*Name has been changed to protect identity

DI Dan Parkinson (Devon & Cornwall Police) explains how the Safe Car Wash App is helping to make reporting much easier.

How to mobilise your community

Online seminar - learning from our brothers and sisters in Tanzania

We are hosting a seminar on Tues 21 May at 12.30pm as a follow on from our popular Lent course, True Freedom. We are keen to keep the conversation going about how the Church can raise awareness and take action against modern slavery and exploitation.

During the short webinar, we will be interviewing Clewer safeguarding trainers, Helen Styles and Becca Faal, about their recent trip to Tanzania and how they have been supporting the Diocese of Western Tanganyika as it seeks to identify and raise awareness of exploitation in local communities.

We will also speak to Rev Naftali Nkika (Coordinator of Christian Education in the Diocese of Western Tanganyika) and Rev Esther Muhagachi (Project Officer for Christian Council of Tanzania) about the concrete steps they have taken to equip and mobilise church leaders and members in the fight against modern slavery.

This seminar is for anyone who is serious about mobilising their community - whether it be in the UK or overseas. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.

ZOOM LINK

This month, Massimo and Claire had the privilege of interviewing Antoinette Daniel, the founder of Just Helpers. Here is her incredible story.

Antoinette’s modern slavery story began on Anti-Slavery Day in 2005. She had recently achieved her lifelong goal of buying her own house and was happily working her way up the career ladder, teaching PE at a private girls’ school. She was sitting in a majority white, middle class church in London when the preacher began talking about slavery.

First of all, he spoke about the transatlantic slave trade, then he started talking about the millions of vulnerable people caught up in slavery today. Antoinette heard the figure of 27.9 million people and thought to herself: “that can’t be right. He must be wrong.” She felt sure the statistic was an embellishment so she decided to find out more.

Over the next three years, she kept hearing more and more about modern slavery and human trafficking. She kept thinking: “someone needs to do something about this.” But she never thought she could be part of the answer. She felt it was the responsibility of the Police or social workers or the Government. After all, what could a PE teacher from Croydon achieve?