Are vulnerable young Vietnamese people being routinely trafficked into the UK to work in cut-price nail salons? Amelia Gentleman joins a police raid on one shop suspected of involvement in exploitation<\/p>\n
Online reviews for this small south-London nail bar are mixed. \u201cBest nail bar in Peckham,\u201d one says. Most comments, however, are more grudging. \u201cSuppose you get what you pay for,\u201d another concludes (customers here do not pay very much, just \u00a310 for a full manicure). Most telling are the comments about the staff. \u201cThe younger girls and boys seem to be learning as they go\u201d; \u201cCommunication is close to none as they don\u2019t speak English.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is this lack of English that is one of the warning flags that has put the shop on a list of nail bars requiring investigation for possible exploitation. On a slow Thursday afternoon, the shabby venue is being raided by 20 police officers; three people are later arrested on human trafficking charges and four frightened young employees are taken temporarily to a council-run reception centre, where they are given medical treatment and advice.<\/p>\n