CSR: major brands reportedly linked to Uyghur forced labor in China

In the foreword to the Uyghurs for Sale report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI* here), published on 01 March 2020, ‘The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country.’ According to the report displaced citizens are working ‘Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors,’ citing the following in its press statement, Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony, and Volkswagen. The NGO has encouraged the companies cited in the report ‘to conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labour in China.’