The Brussels Labor Inspectorate said that as part of an investigation into a Vietnamese criminal organization, managing manicure salons, 17 suspects were detained on April 22, the Belgian news agency Belga reported, quoted by BTA.
The suspects were detained on suspicion of being involved in human trafficking and smuggling. Six were arrested by order of an investigating judge, and the remaining 11 were released on parole.
In the framework of the investigation, nine salons were closed and 12 people were detained due to discrepancies in their status of stay.
The possible victims of trafficking were mostly from the northern Vietnamese province of Nguyen, said Valentina Marocchi, deputy chief labor inspector and spokeswoman for the Brussels Labor Inspectorate.
„After paying a large amount of money to the organization, which has branches in several countries, it most likely organized the Vietnamese to travel to Belgium via several routes,”, Marroki said.
„Once in Belgium, the victims were accommodated and put to work in manicure salons controlled by the organization,”, she added. The victims were paid below the minimum wage, and only after paying off all their debts.
The criminal organization is said to have arranged the victims' residency papers through the asylum or family reunification system. It is possible that some of them ended up in Belgium in transit, on their way to England. The organization was also involved in money laundering.
Inspections within the framework of the investigation revealed the presence of illegal workers and minors in manicure salons. Working conditions, wages and hygiene were not in accordance with the law, as were the cosmetic products used.