Clergy back Safe Car Wash campaign to combat modern slavery

The Bishop of Middleton, The Rt Revd Mark Davies

Greater Manchester clergy are giving their backing to the Safe Car Wash campaign, launched this week by the Church of England and the Catholic Church, which aims to draw attention to the existence of modern day slavery on our high streets.

Bishops and archdeacons from across the Diocese of Manchester took to washing cars to highlight the exploitation in the region of people who are forced to work long hours for little or no pay, sometimes under threat of violence. Some of those people are being exploited in hand car washes, which in recent years have sprung up across the country.

The Clewer Initiative launched the Safe Car Wash campaign on Monday.

Drivers are being encouraged to join an unprecedented national information-gathering campaign by downloading and using the Safe Car Wash app on their smart phones.

Users pinpoint their exact location using GPS and are then taken through a series of indicators of modern slavery.

They range from practical details - such as whether workers have suitable protective clothing - to behavioural clues, such as whether they appear withdrawn. If the answers indicate a high likelihood, users will be directed to the Modern Slavery Helpline.

The campaign has the backing of police, anti-slavery campaigners and councils. Estimates suggest that 24,000 car wash workers are being exploited.

The Bishop of Manchester, The Rt Revd Dr David Walker said: “The Safe Car Wash campaign is all about identifying if there are people in our communities who are forced labour, slave labour or being trafficked. The hand car wash sector is an important one and we want people to get hold of the App and report any concerns they might have,”

The Bishop of Bolton, The Rt Revd Mark Ashcroft, said: “We are highlighting the fact that some people involved in the hand car washing industry are being taken advantage of and being abused. We’re saying we’ll do it ourselves in that case, rather than somebody who’s being treated effectively as slave labour.”

The Bishop of Middleton, The Rt Revd Mark Davies, said: “We can’t be indifferent to the suffering around us in our own communities. We’re urging people to use the Safe Car App as a way of finding out if people are being exploited and do something about it.”