Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are subjected to an organized system of detention and forced labor, driven by the Chinese government and exploited by numerous international companies around the world.
People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui, are currently the target of the largest organized detention of an ethno-religious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been detained.
Detainees are made to work under constant surveillance, with assigned guards and no freedom to leave. Their forced labor contributes to the production of goods for numerous multinationals in different industries and sectors.
| You might be surprised to know that: * Approximately 20% of the world’s cotton is produced in the Uyghur Region, which means that 1 in 5 cotton garments on the global market is highly likely to be tainted with Uyghur forced labor. * Forced-labor-produced cotton and cotton-based goods are still reaching U.S. retailers through intermediary manufacturers. * Although several international brands state that they “do not knowingly source from Xinjiang,” they have not publicly shared the list of their suppliers. |
Stating that fast fashion can also be cruel fashion, Maria Eugenia and the team supporting the Freedom United community, appeal to the global community that let’s stand with workers and tell brands to end all business relationships with suppliers benefiting from forced labor. On the eve of the International Labor Day, she urged to join her the call to end Uyghur forced labor.
