Warning for the Vietnamese people. ( Archived) (6)

Ensure exploitation in cheap nail salons

On almost every street corner you can now have your nails done, often at low prices. But those cheap beautiful nails can also have a dark edge.

In the Netherlands there is hardly any supervision of the fast-growing nail sector, while there are worrying signs of human trafficking and exploitation. The black border on your fake nails of € 25
According to the services of Europol and the FIOD, nail salons have been attractive for criminals for some time, to launder money or to allow illegal immigrants to work. For example, there are no rules about starting a nail salon, many people can work at the same time and cash is often paid.

In England it has become clear that hundreds of illegal Vietnamese workers have been exploited in nail salons. And Spain also rolled up a network last month: more than 730 illegal Vietnamese were discovered in about one hundred nail salons.

In Belgium, cases concerning labor violations and exploitation in salons are also piling up. The Public Prosecution Service is talking about an international phenomenon. So many violations have been detected in Brussels and other major cities, which is now undergoing a larger investigation into possible criminal activities behind the salons.

Networks threaten girls and families with death when they turn on the police.
Asia expert Oscar Salemink
Due to the incidents in the countries around us, more and more is known about exploitation and trafficking in nail salons. It is often Vietnamese who come to Europe to earn money, often in the end in England. Experts explain that young Vietnamese are sent out to earn money.

Networking of family and acquaintances help with the journey and finding work and accommodation in Europe. Confidence in a helpful family member or knowledge ensures that someone often does not even know where he or she ends up. And that can be in bad hands.

"As soon as they arrive, their passport is taken away," says anthropologist and Asia expert Oscar Salemink. "The networks threaten the girls and their families with death if they call in the police."

If someone is subsequently put to work, money must be earned to reimburse the costs of the crossing to smugglers. By forming a closed group, the Vietnamese remain well under the radar. The women are isolated from the Western outside world, making it almost impossible to find help.

There are also many Vietnamese salons where none of the above plays. The profession of nail stylist has been a profession in Vietnam for a long time, so that a lot of knowledge comes from it. Often it has been transferred from generation to generation.

If you sell nails for 20 or 30 euros, you have to cut back on something else.
Spokesman industry organization Nagelgilde
The nail market is growing in the Netherlands. The Chamber of Commerce has about 9000 cases that do something with nails, in 2013 there were still 6,000. There are still some 28,000 cases that also fall into the category care, manicure and pedicure, but it is not clear if they are something do with nails. And there are hundreds of them per year. Most of these cases are from Dutch owners, but especially salons with a Vietnamese owner are on the rise.

You do not need a diploma in the Netherlands to start a nail salon and there are also few rules: everyone can open a salon. As a result, the market is diverse: there are professional salons with good working conditions, but there are also those who do not have ventilation or where staff are unskilled.

The prices differ greatly because of this: in one case for 20 or 30 euros you have a new set of nails, somewhere else you can pay double. According to the Nagel guild, the branch organization, such a low nail price can not really be. "Then you have to cut corners," says spoke

spokesman and salon owner Christine Roggeveen. "For example, by purchasing no or less ventilation, too low wages or through the use of dirt-cheap, irresponsible products, the professional running of a salon is simply not possible for that money."

Reporting is difficult

There is little to no information available at official bodies about abuses in Dutch nail salons: no police investigations and so far no legal proceedings have been conducted. We asked dozens of agencies, but we did not get much further.

Relief workers who do more street work had more to say. For example, relief workers from organizations such as Fairworks, Shop The Hague and Pacific Links talked to victims. These organizations tell us that they know for certain that Dutch nail salons are also involved in human trafficking.

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