Some Uighurs have allegedly been placed in these factories straight from the internment camps in Xinjiang, where experts estimate more than 1.5 million members of ethnic minorities are being held. Demand Nike and other listed companies to stop sourcing their products from Uyghur forced labor. ), Chinas forced work programs have been getting more attention over the past year, with new reports speaking to the growing scope of Chinas oppressive practices in Xinjiang. As the TTP notes, China uses what it calls labor transfers to transport Uyghurs from the Xinjiang region to factories throughout China, forcing them into labor programs the TTP says are often coercive and connected to a network of mass internment and reeducation camps., Five suppliers have been publicly denounced for being connected to the forced labor. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The Act, codified under 22 U.S.C. As for population statistics, China lists Xinjiang's population at 24.5 million, including 12 million Uyghurs and 11 million Chinese as well as one million Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Huai, and other ethnic. DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. For the most up-to-date information on CBPs UFLPA implementation, please see our website at https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA. Companies need to implement robust preventative and transparency measures, with their compliance departmentsnot their communications departmentsleading the way. They include. Read the FLETF'sStrategy to Prevent the Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the Peoples Republic of China. The TTP pinpoints five companies on Amazons supplier list (available as a CSV file in the small print below the pages supply chain map) that have been publicly denounced for being directly or indirectly connected to the forced labor of Chinas Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region. It will place new requirements on a wide range of industries that rely on labor from Xinjiang, especially apparel, automotive, technology, food & beverage, and solar companies. Apple found no evidence of forced labor anywhere we operate, a spokesperson told The Information. In addition, CBP is subject to reporting requirements that likely will discourage easy granting of exceptions. Interagency Convening on Equitable Economic Growth, Workforce Development - Employer Practices, Commerce Department Adds Five Chinese Entities to the Entity List for Participating in Chinas Campaign of Forced Labor Against Muslims in Xinjiang. That timeline will be exacerbated by the expected announcement of additional prohibited companies on June 21, and the potential delay until that day of guidance from CBP on standards to demonstrate that imports are not connected to forced labor. The laws rebuttable presumption means companies whose supply chains touch Xinjiangor utilize Xinjiang-exported laborwill have to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that their products are free of forced labor. Numerous sources, including government documents, show that transferred workers are assigned minders and have limited freedom of movement.. Those factories claim to be part of the supply chain of 83 well-known global brands., The Fair Labor Association has also written a statement calling to an end of all forced labor in East Turkestan: , The Fair Labor Association (FLA) is deeply troubled by credible reports of forced labor and other violations of fundamental human rights in the Xinjiang region of China. Working with two human rights groups, the publication identified seven companies that supplied. The latest report titled Uyghurs For Sale, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, reveals a vast network of companies complicit in the mass detention of Uyghurs and other Turkic people. (Photo by Anna Fifield/The Washington Post via Getty Images). Even more to the point, how about forced labor right here in the U.S. with our prisons (especially the privatized ones), with our vagrancy laws, our with our use of cheap underpaid and unpaid foreign labor from the very groups that conservatives want to deport unless, of course, these conservatives can make more unbegotten money from their forced labor? Click Share This Page button to display social media links. Entities identified in sections (i) and (ii) above may serve as both manufactures and exporters. Almost all global clothing brands are implicated in the use of cotton sourced from Chinese-occupied East Turkestan (Xinjiang) as well. As you are likely aware, Congress recently passed, and the President signed into law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (the Act). An official website of the United States government. A Chinese-dominated mining company has procured millions of dollars in American subsidies to extract lithium in the United States - but, given a dearth of U.S. processing capacity, the mineral is likely to be sent to China with no guarantee that the end product would return as . The report and process for its preparation also are designed to help CBP improve its capacity to administer the import ban. Save Uyghur Statement on the Xinjiang Police Files and The Faces from Chinas Uyghur Detention Camp, HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP DISMAYED AT IMAMS VISIT TO CHINA, FEARING IT IS BEING USED TO FURTHER PROPAGANDA ABOUT STATE OF UYGHURS, Justice For Alls Save Uyghur Campaign Calls on Assistant Secretary Noyes to Get Uyghurs Released from Thailand, Community Alert For Uyghurs: China Relentlessly Targeting You for its Surveillance Campaign. (LockA locked padlock) ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Most fashion brands can't promise their products aren't implicated, with concern spreading from fast-fashion and sportswear giants to major luxury groups. SHARE. BuzzFeed News reported finding more than 100 detention facilities located beside factories. TheAP investigation, based on interviews with 30 former detainees, family members, a former detention camp instructor, government statistics and state documents, found that the Chinese government seeks to dramatically lower the birthrates of Uighurs and other minorities while encouraging other populations to produce more children. It is a deep concern that I have learned Nike is a recipient of Chinese products manufactured using enslaved labor by forced transfer of Uyghur workers from East Turkestan (Xinjiang) to labor camps in different parts of the country. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. Products linked in whole or in part to these entities will be treated by CBP as having the same prohibitions as any products from the XUAR. The problem is not Apples alone. The entities to be added to the Entity List in connection with participating in the practice of, accepting, or utilizing forced labor involvingUyghurs and otherMuslim minority groups in the XUAR are: This Entity List rule supplements other Entity List designations in October 2019, June 2020, and July 2020. Two top congressional Democrats, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., urged players to drop endorsement deals with Chinese sportswear companies that use cotton from Xinjiang . U.S. remote-control maker Universal Electronics Inc told Reuters it struck a deal with authorities in Xinjiang to transport hundreds of Uyghur workers to its plant in the southern Chinese city of . Activists have launched a campaign accusing firms of . Please immediately end any sourcing from companies complicit in using forced labor, and discontinue any business relations with them. We hope that by sharing this film we can serve as a catalyst to inspire action against a deep issue in our society and encourage people to help shape a better future.. An April 2021 report co-authored by Human Rights Watch and Stanford Law School details "crimes against humanity," including mass detention, forced labor, torture, and cultural and religious erasure. It establishes a rebuttable presumption that the importation of any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China, or produced by certain entities, is prohibited by Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and that such goods, wares, articles, and merchandise are not entitled to entry to the United States. An official website of the United States government. In any future CBP enforcement action related to such merchandise, CBP will take into consideration the fact that you have been provided this notice in determining appropriate administrative remedies. Apple said it looks for forced labor as part of every assessment it conducts. Call To House Republicans On Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Middleman Investigation. (Washington, DC) - The United States government should vigorously enforce a new law that aims to prevent imports linked to forced labor by Uyghurs and other persecuted groups in China, Human . They are grouped into different categories and listed below. In the last fiscal year, 835 companies were found . CBP is urging importers to be proactive and closely review their supply chains to ensure any goods or materials are not sourced from the XUAR in violation of the Act. WROs on materials like cotton (where an estimated 20 percent of world supply and 85 percent of Chinese supply is from the XUAR) and polysilicon (a key material in solar panels and the photovoltaic supply chain) reportedly are causing CBP to block broad categories of certain products incorporating those materials. One such ad, claiming to be able to supply 1,000 Uighur workers aged 16 to 18 years, read: The advantages of Xinjiang workers are: semi-military style management, can withstand hardship, no loss of personnel Minimum order 100 workers!. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Apple supplier Lens Technology uses Uighur workers in its factories, according to documents obtained by the Tech Transparency Project. Companies doing business in China, especially those with supply chain touchpoints in Xinjiang, should consider how the new law will affect them. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. These parties can include companies outside of the XUAR. There are watchtowers with cameras pointed in all directions and high barbed wire fences atop the walls. To directly support Save Uyghurs campaign to safeguard fundamental human rights, donate to our cause now. The report accuses Amazon of continuing to work with these suppliers, despite evidence of their association with Uyghur labor camps. As of April 2021, the following global companies and brands are profiting from their use of modern day Uyghur slavery. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. ASPI stated that it had found 27 factories in 9 Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labor transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. The law places the burden of proof on companies to demonstrate that any imports "mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regionor involving entities. Primark has been involved in child labor and modern slavery scandals before. Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards, Amazon spokesperson Erika Reynoso said in a statement to The Verge. It is incumbent upon you as an importer to apply due diligence, effective supply chain tracing, and supply chain management measures to ensure that such imports are free from any goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with forced labor from the Peoples Republic of China, especially from the XUAR. I am a journalist writing about China manufacturing and trade. This report must include both the goods and the evidence considered. Please note that this notice may serve as an aggravating factor should CBP take enforcement action upon determining future violations of the Act. To sign up for updates or to access your subscriber preferences, please enter your contact information below. Meta backs new tool for removing sexual images of minors posted online, Mark Zuckerberg says Meta now has a team building AI tools and personas, Whoops! The Act requires CBP to apply the rebuttable presumption unless the importer can overcome the presumption of forced labor by establishing, by clear and convincing evidence, that the good, ware, article, or merchandise was not mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact, Immigration Expert Says Bidens Immigration Plans Could Provide Amnesty for Millions of People, At Princeton, a Racial Reckoning and a Free Speech Battle. Although journalists have in the pastlinked Western companies to forced Uighur labor, this is the first time the problem is made apparent on such a large scale, enveloping factories and supply chains across the country. Uighurs placement in factories outside Xinjiang has been conducted under a central government policy known as Xinjiang Aid. Factory bosses receive cash compensations for each Uighur worker they employ. Following a public comment period, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will describe how companies can adequately demonstrate that their imports originating from China are not made with forced labor. The enforcement strategy, and how much companies will need to do to satisfy the law, remains to be seen. Many consumers are now boycotting Primark, but the brand is still expanding. The UFLPA reflects an expansion of U.S. policy efforts over the past two years to address reported violations of human rights in the XUAR. 83 global companies and brands are directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced laborers in these factories. The Chinese government forcibly relocates Uyghur men and women away from their homes and existing jobs to cotton fields. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Major solar companies including GCL-Poly, East Hope Group, Daqo New Energy, Xinte Energy and Jinko Solar are named in the report as bearing signs of using some forced labor, according to. Apples supply chain has previously been linked to forced labor in China. An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 4 Vocation Skills Education Training Center (VSETC), Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd. (including five aliases: Carbon Yuan Technology; Changzhou Carbon Yuan Technology Development; Carbon Element Technology; Jiangsu Carbon Element Technology; and Tanyuan Technology Development), Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and its subordinate and affiliated entities. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The estimated figure is conservative and the actual figure is likely to be far higher., In factories far away from home, they typically live in segregated dormitories, undergo organised Mandarin and ideological training outside working hours, are subject to constant surveillance, and are forbidden from participating in religious observances, the report summary continued. This report estimates that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps, a summary of the report said. Companies will have limited time between now and June 21 to identify and manage both legal compliance and business risks. The ECCHR said that the companies have been complicit "directly or indirectly" in the forced labour of members of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's Xinjiang province. Please be aware that this is CBPs importer guidance, which provides transparency to CBPs operational approach, and not the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Forces Strategy, which will provide additional importer guidance, required by the UFLPA. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Apple, which has saidthat it is committed to donating to organizations that challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration, is not the only company to come under scrutiny for its links to slave labor. Lenovo also pointed to a 2018 audit by the Reliable Business Alliance in which OFILM scored very well. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Fact Sheet, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Importer Overview, H.R. Brands Can't Confidently Say No. An official website of the United States government. Dont pretend theres not a problem in America. Apple, whichhas saidthat it is is committed to donating to organizations that challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration, has protested that it rigorously audits companies in its supply chain to make sure that Apples products arent derived from forced labor, saying in a statement to WaPo that Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor.. Apple lists both . Amazon is allegedly employing suppliers in China with links to forced labor, according to a report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a research group owned by the nonprofit watchdog organization Campaign for Accountability (via NBC News). Secure .gov websites use HTTPS DHS issued a Notice Seeking Public Comments in the Federal Register on January 24, 2022 on methods to prevent the importation of goods produced using forced labor from the People's Republic of China, specifically from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Some companies have even advertised their ability to supply Uighur workers through online bookings.
Louisiana State Police Physical Fitness Test, What Happens When You Stop Chasing An Avoidant, Articles L