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Spot a possible case of labor slavery? There’s an app for that! British drivers have the possibility to report anything suspicious they see at local hand car washes, and their findings help police track down and punish traffickers.
The Safe Car Wash app was actually launched in 2018, as part of an initiative meant to fight labor slavery from the Church of England and the Catholic Church. Between June and December last year, no less than 900 possible cases of modern-day labor slavery have been recorded through the app at British hand car washes, figures released to University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab and cited by The Guardian show.
The app uses a simple checklist to tick off items that could possibly identify illegal labor, starting from the price of the service (if it’s too cheap, it’s suspicious), lack of protective equipment for staff and signs of fear in staff, to whether there are caravans or camping gear near the site, and whether payment is made only in cash.
Based on these criteria, users have spotted about 900 possible cases of labor slavery. That’s the good news; the bad news is that only 18 percent of drivers called the slavery helpline after using the app, even though a message prompted them to do so.
Estimates show that there are over 18,000 hand car washes in the UK and, while the majority of them operate in the realm of legality, many don’t. The app helps to offer a better appreciation of this side of the industry and to ultimately bring those who profit from it to justice.
“Investigations and operations on hand car-wash activities have identified the sector as a high-risk area for labor exploitation. Though often operating in plain sight, a great challenge in tackling abuses is the lack of data on the size and scope of the industry and the nature and prevalence of labor exploitation,” Dr. Akilah Jardine, research associate at the Rights Lab, tells The Guardian.
“Sadly, the findings so far confirm what we already feared – that many car washes do not protect their workers,” Bishop Alastair Redfern, chair of the Clewer Initiative, adds. “Our conversations with colleagues from law enforcement suggest that the data from the Safe Car Wash app is providing another piece in the puzzle of how to combat this complex crime. We hope to continue to build on this progress.”
On the bright side, the app has served to raise public awareness on the issue, Bishop Redfern adds.
The app uses a simple checklist to tick off items that could possibly identify illegal labor, starting from the price of the service (if it’s too cheap, it’s suspicious), lack of protective equipment for staff and signs of fear in staff, to whether there are caravans or camping gear near the site, and whether payment is made only in cash.
Based on these criteria, users have spotted about 900 possible cases of labor slavery. That’s the good news; the bad news is that only 18 percent of drivers called the slavery helpline after using the app, even though a message prompted them to do so.
Estimates show that there are over 18,000 hand car washes in the UK and, while the majority of them operate in the realm of legality, many don’t. The app helps to offer a better appreciation of this side of the industry and to ultimately bring those who profit from it to justice.
“Investigations and operations on hand car-wash activities have identified the sector as a high-risk area for labor exploitation. Though often operating in plain sight, a great challenge in tackling abuses is the lack of data on the size and scope of the industry and the nature and prevalence of labor exploitation,” Dr. Akilah Jardine, research associate at the Rights Lab, tells The Guardian.
“Sadly, the findings so far confirm what we already feared – that many car washes do not protect their workers,” Bishop Alastair Redfern, chair of the Clewer Initiative, adds. “Our conversations with colleagues from law enforcement suggest that the data from the Safe Car Wash app is providing another piece in the puzzle of how to combat this complex crime. We hope to continue to build on this progress.”
On the bright side, the app has served to raise public awareness on the issue, Bishop Redfern adds.
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