The government of China is perpetrating human rights abuses on a massive scale.
Against their will, hundreds of thousands of China’s Uyghur population and other minorities are being forced into hard, manual labour in the cotton fields of Xinjiang. Mounting evidence of sterilsation and enforced abortions of Uyghur women in the region is shocking. [1]
But pressure to act is mounting. The US has announced a ban on importing cotton from the region, the UN has called this tragedy “a crime against humanity”, as well as the Dutch, Canadian and US lawmakers declaring the persecution of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities genocide. [2] Businesses in the UK have begun to act, such as Marks & Spencer who have signed the Call To Action, and committed to never using cotton from this region again. [3]
Investigations show that there is significant risk of forced labour at virtually any workplace in the Uyghur Region, so that any brand or country that uses cotton products from the region is potentially implicated in these human rights abuses. [4] That is why we must call on businesses to commit to withdrawing their supply chains from the region, and demand the government ban imports of cotton from the region.
Read more:
[1] BBC: Uighurs: ‘Credible case’ China carrying out genocide
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55973215
[2] Al Jazeera: US bans cotton imports from China producer, citing ‘slave labour’
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/12/3/us-bans-cotton-imports-from-china-producer-citing-slave-labour
BBC: US: China ‘committed genocide against Uighurs’
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55723522
BBC: Canada’s parliament declares China’s treatment of Uighurs ‘genocide’ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56163220
CNN: Dutch parliament becomes second in a week to accuse China of genocide in Xinjiang
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/25/europe/netherlands-china-xinjiang-genocide-intl-hnk/index.html
[3] M&S signs call to action over Uighur forced labour
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55555270
End Uyghur Forced Labour: Call to Action
https://enduyghurforcedlabour.org/call-to-action/
[4] BBC: UK business ‘must wake up’ to China’s Uighur cotton slaves
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55319797
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