Activists call for support from Apple to end forced Uighur work in China

Trabalhadores uigires

Several groups of activists have come together to help free ethnic workers uigure – people with Muslim roots who inhabit the Xinjiang territory in northwest China – who are said to be working in Chinese factories under forced conditions. One of the companies cited by the coalition in this process is Apple, whose supplier Nanchang O-Film Tech was accused of violating human rights and spying on Uighur workers.

Apple has faced allegations of poor working conditions at its partners’ Chinese factories before, but the possibility that these people are being forced to work against their will is a completely different matter. Unfortunately, several evidence analyzed by the coalition of activists points to possible abuses in Apple’s production line – in addition to other large American companies, such as Nike and Gap, according to the BBC News.

China, which is believed to have detained more than 1 million Uighurs in detention camps in Xinjiang, described its programs – which allegedly include forced sterilization – as training and education at work.

In its defense, Apple said this week that an investigation «found no evidence of forced labor on its production lines», but that the company will continue to monitor the situation.

The coalition of activists wants companies to continue investigating their suppliers who have factories in China and to terminate the contract with them if they are caught supporting forced labor – the least to be done, obviously …

via 9to5Mac