A woman and man who forced children trafficked from Vietnam to work in nail bars in the UK have been jailed under modern slavery legislation.



Police say it is the first time a successful prosecution involving children has taken place since the laws were brought in two years ago.

The case centres on girls aged under 18 who were smuggled into the UK and compelled to work for little or no money.

Thu Huong Nguyen, known as Jenny, and Viet Hoang Nguyen, known as Ken, were found guilty of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the movement of people for labour exploitation and conspiring to require others to perform forced or compulsory labour at Stafford crown court.

Jenny, 48, from Bath, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, while Ken, 29, from Burton-upon-Trent, was jailed for four years.

A third defendant, Giang Huong Tran, known as Susan, was found guilty of conspiracy to require others to perform forced or compulsory labour. The 23-year-old from Burton-upon-Trent, was given a two-year suspended sentence.

Officers said they believed many more girls and boys were at risk. They hoped the prosecution would send a message to nail bar owners who use children that they would be pursued, as well as alerting customers to the possibility that young people were being exploited.

The investigation began when police, immigration officials and staff from the charity Unseen visited nail bars in Bath in February 2016. At the Nail Bar Deluxe premises, in the city centre, they found two Vietnamese girls working on clients’ nails.

It emerged they were working 60 hours a week. One was being paid about £30 a month while the second was not paid. They were staying at the four-bedroomed home of the owner, Jenny, in Bath. One lived in a tiny room, while the other slept on a mattress in the attic.

Because Jenny was out at the time, officers were able to talk to the girls.

DI Charlotte Tucker, who led the operation for Avon and Somerset police, said: “They were extremely vulnerable. They were from impoverished backgrounds in Vietnam and had come to the UK seeking a better life.”

The pair were brought into the UK in the back of a lorry. It is not known if they were collected by someone from the nail bar or simply dumped in Bath to seek out Vietnamese people such as Jenny.

The nail bar was lucrative. When police raided Jenny’s home, they found £60,000 in £50 notes hidden inside a teddy bear and a cabinet full of designer handbags, some worth thousands of pounds. She also had a string of bedsits in Bath.

Tucker said: “She was making a lot of money using cheap or totally free labour. Stashing money away in teddy bears suggests she didn’t know what do with all the cash she was making.”

Thousands of pounds were found hidden in a teddy bear at Nguyen’s home. Photograph: Police handout

The teenagers were taken into emergency foster care but ran away. “Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in trafficking cases, as victims are conditioned to feel reliant on those controlling them and compelled to return to them,” said Tucker.

They were re-trafficked but were traced to a nail bar in Abbey Arcade, in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Two other victims were found there.

Tucker said the girls spoke little English. “They were so vulnerable they had no chance of running away. They were not locked up but had nowhere to go.

“We want to get the point across to the public that they are hiding their victims in plain sight. When people go and get their nails done there can be a victim there who comes here for a better life, sometimes with debt bondage connected to families back home. They are trapped here.

“In the case of nail bars, warning signs could be very young-looking members of staff, low prices, a rapid turnover of staff or controlling behaviour by senior employees. If you have any suspicions, please contact the police.”

The case was run as a “victimless prosecution” – more often used in domestic violence cases where the victim does not necessarily cooperate with the prosecution. “They are so conditioned to believe they are not victims. They didn’t see they had been exploited for gain,” said Tucker.

Quick Guide Modern slavery Show What is modern slavery? About 150 years after most countries banned slavery – Brazil was the last to abolish its participation in the transatlantic slave trade, in 1888 – millions of men, women and children are still enslaved. Contemporary slavery takes many forms, from women forced into prostitution, to child slavery in agriculture supply chains or whole families working for nothing to pay off generational debts. Slavery thrives on every continent and in almost every country. Forced labour, people trafficking, debt bondage and child marriage are all forms of modern-day slavery that affect the world's most vulnerable people.

How many people are enslaved across the world? The UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that about 21 million people are in forced labour at any point in time. The ILO says this estimate includes trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. They calculate that 90% of the 21 million are exploited by individuals or companies, while 10% are forced to work by the state, rebel military groups, or in prisons under conditions that violate ILO standards. Sexual exploitation accounts for 22% of slaves. Where does slavery exist? Slavery exists in one form or another in every country. Asia accounts for more than half of the ILO's 21 million estimate. In terms of percentage of population, central and south-east Europe has the highest prevalence of forced labour, followed by Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Who is profiting? In 2005, the ILO estimated that illegal profits from forced labour amounted to more than $44bn. The UN's global initiative to fight trafficking says people trafficking is the third-largest global criminal industry (pdf) behind drugs and arms trafficking. The ILO estimates that people in forced labour lose at least $21bn each year in unpaid wages and recruitment fees. Slavery also exists within global supply chains, generating huge profits for those who control this industry in free labour.

Donna King, service delivery manager for the charity Unseen, which works with modern slavery survivors, said there were hundreds, possibly thousands, of girls – and boys – being put to work in a similar way. She said many felt they could not defy those exploiting them for reasons ranging from fear of violence to concerns they would be deported because of their immigration status.

• The national 24/7 Modern Slavery Helpline is 08000 121 700