Large companies are complicit in Chinese religious liberty violations
(OPINION) According to a recent report published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), between 2017 and 2019, the Chinese Government facilitated the transfer of Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities from Xinjiang to factories in various parts of China.
The allegations come several months after the situation in Xinjiang hit the headlines with reports of the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims in so-called “re-education camps.” According to them, there are an estimated one million (if not more) Uighur Muslims detained in so-called “re-education camps” which are designed to strip them of their religious and ethnic identity and replace it with absolute loyalty to the state.
This photo taken on May 31, 2019 shows the outer wall of a complex which includes what is believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, on the outskirts of Hotan, in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. (Photo credit: GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images).
According to the ASPI report, there are strong indications that some 80,000 Uighurs have been forced to work in factories that form part of the supply chains of at least 83 global brands including “Abercrombie & Fitch, Acer, Adidas, Alstom, Amazon, Apple, ASUS, BAIC Motor, BMW, Bombardier, Bosch, BYD, Calvin Klein, Candy, Carter’s, Cerruti 1881, Changan Automobile, Cisco, CRRC, Dell, Electrolux, Fila, Founder Group, GAC Group (automobiles), Gap, Geely Auto, General Electric, General Motors, Google, H&M, Haier, Hart Scha ner Marx, Hisense, Hitachi, HP, HTC, Huawei, iFlyTek, Jack & Jones, Jaguar, Japan Display Inc., L.L.Bean, Lacoste, Land Rover, Lenovo, LG, Li-Ning, Mayor, Meizu, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Microso , Mitsubishi, Mitsumi, Nike, Nintendo, Nokia, The North Face, Oculus, Oppo, Panasonic, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Roewe, SAIC Motor, Samsung, SGMW, Sharp, Siemens, Skechers, Sony, TDK, Tommy Hilfiger, Toshiba, Tsinghua Tongfang, Uniqlo, Victoria’s Secret, Vivo, Volkswagen, Xiaomi, Zara, Zegna, ZTE.”
The report suggests that these companies have been using forced Uighur labor in their supply chains. As a result, they could find themselves in breach of laws that prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labor. Among the International Labor Organisation (ILO) forced labor indicators, the report identified the following factors as relevant for the case of the Uighur Muslims: “
• being subjected to intimidation and threats, such as the threat of arbitrary detention, and being monitored by security personnel and digital surveillance tools
• being placed in a position of dependency and vulnerability, such as by threats to family members back in Xinjiang
• having freedom of movement restricted, such as by fenced-in factories and high-tech surveillance
• isolation, such as living in segregated dormitories and being transported in dedicated trains
• abusive working conditions, such as political indoctrination, police guard posts in factories, ‘military-style’ management, and a ban on religious practices
• excessive hours, such as after-work Mandarin language classes and political indoctrination sessions that are part of job assignments.”
The report focuses on a few case studies. For example, the report alleges that in January 2020, around 600 ethnic minority workers from Xinjiang were employed at Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co. Ltd., making Nike sneakers.
It further adds that: “At the factory, the Uighur laborers make Nike shoes during the day. In the evening, they attend a night school where they study Mandarin, sing the Chinese national anthem and receive ‘vocational training’ and ‘patriotic education.’ The curriculum closely mirrors that of Xinjiang’s ‘re-education camps’.”
A month after the launch of the ASPI report, the majority of the named companies have not addressed the accusations, whether to reject the accusations or explain their due diligence procedures.
The ASPI report calls upon other states not to turn a blind eye but, together with other states, to “increase pressure on the Chinese government to end the use and facilitation of Uighur forced labor and mass extrajudicial detention, including through the use of targeted sanctions on senior officials responsible for Xinjiang’s coercive labor transfers” and to “review trade agreements to restrict commodities and products being produced with forced labor.”
It is time for China to put an end to its practice of human rights violations, including, abuse of religious minorities.
Furthermore, we also can play a role in stopping the situation. The businesses that may flourish in supply chains based on forced labor should not receive the support of anyone purporting to respect human rights. It is also time for big (and expensive) brands to stop making profit off the back of the abuse and exploitation of people.
We pay good money for their products. We expect good quality. But we also expect that the products are ethical, not the product of modern day slavery, produced in pain and blood of repressed people and whole communities.
Ewelina U. Ochab is a legal researcher and human rights advocate, PhD candidate and author of the book “Never Again: Legal Responses to a Broken Promise in the Middle East” and more than 30 UN reports. She works on the topic of persecution of minorities around the world. This piece was re-published from Forbes with permission.