An ongoing issue - modern slavery in UK hand car washes
Claire Walford
Despite collaborative efforts, modern slavery remains a real concern within the hand car wash sector.
While many hand car washes are legitimate businesses, some mistreat their workers. This kind of exploitative work can include issues such as no contract of employment, excessive hours, little or no pay, inappropriate accommodation, no training or protective equipment to safely store and handle harsh chemicals, child workers, harsh surveillance, or physical and verbal abuse at work.
Sadly, modern slavery often goes unchallenged or undetected as signs are overlooked or missed and workers too scared to speak up.
This Anti-Slavery Day (Sunday 18th October), the Car Wash Association and The Clewer Initiative are urging members of the public to join the fight against exploitation and provide vital intelligence, on both good and bad practice across the sector. A single report could save lives.
How can I help?
The Safe Car Wash App (SCWA) exists to make this data gathering possible.
Developed by The Clewer Initiative and in collaboration with partners including the Car Wash Association, the app asks a series of questions related to the indicators of modern slavery and then assesses the answers. If there is a high likelihood that modern slavery is occurring at the hand car wash, a copy of the report is sent to the Modern Slavery Helpline at the touch of a button. The Modern Slavery Helpline triages the report and informs law enforcement when appropriate.
Data from the app is anonymised and shared with the Fair Work Agency and other national and local law enforcement agencies who are leading efforts to stamp out labour exploitation across the UK.
Users don’t need to see bad practice for the information gathered to be useful – the more reports that are submitted, the better picture the authorities can build of what is happening across the country and identifying the bad from the good. Members of the public should report concerns even if they're not completely sure of what they have seen and submit reports on sites, even if they have done so before to observe changes over time.
Impact so far
Since The Clewer Initiative and partners launched the SCWA in June 2018, it has been downloaded over 40,000 times, with more than 9,000 reports submitted to the Modern Slavery Helpline. Following feedback from users and additional input from the Car Wash Association and Nottingham Trent University, the app has recently been updated and improved, making it even easier to use and the information even more valuable to partners on the frontline. The recent updates to the app have been made possible with thanks to the Barings Foundation.
Colin Norton, Head of National Investigation Team (South) of the Fair Work Agency, adds: "The Safe Car Wash App will be invaluable to our enforcement efforts and the Fair Work Agency's response to labour exploitation in the UK."
On Sunday 18th October, this year’s Anti-Slavery Day, download the Safe Car Wash App, use it to make reports and contribute towards the fight against modern slavery!
The Safe Car Wash App is available for both Android and iPhones through the relevant app stores.
- Android: Safe Car Wash – Apps on Google Play
- Apple: Safe Car Wash App - App Store
You can also make a report through the web version, by clicking here.
You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say you did not know.
