An app that is used to uncover modern slavery at car washes has uncovered more than 900 instances of forced labour in the UK.
The Safe Car Wash App was launched last June to let drivers report evidence at the source after the industry was identified to have as many as 24,000 enslaved workers.
The tech allows drivers to log the location of the hand car wash on their phone and report any telltale signs – like evidence of workers living on site – which will then be passed on to police.
UK car wash app uncovers nearly 1,000 suspected cases of #ModernSlavery. The creators said that app users uncovered almost 1000 cases of #ModernSlavery and #ForcedLabour in car washes but less than 20% reported using the helpline. @TRF_Storieshttps://t.co/F8DpjPdC3c
— ModernSlaveryExperts (@SlaveryExperts) April 8, 2019
Results of the app’s first six months since release have been collated by the University of Nottingham’s Rights Labs.
They found that 41 per cent of the 2,000 reports issued through the app showed a likelihood of modern slavery occurring, such as the lack of suitable protective clothing that was apparent in almost half of cases.