A watchdog group has linked Amazon to forced labor of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, an autonomous region in northwest China.
The Campaign for Accountability’s (CfA) Tech Transparency Project (TTP) published a report Monday that shows five of Amazon’s suppliers use forced labor from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). (RELATED: Western Companies Are Happy To Cut Ties With Russia, But Stay Silent On Uyghur Genocide)
Amazon has continued to work with companies in China accused of using forced labor despite public warnings about their work practices, according to a report by a nonprofit watchdog group. https://t.co/E4YJ5J2oP1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 7, 2022
All five companies listed in the report are connected to forced labor through news reports or publicly available reporting about connection to forced labor, a CfA spokesperson clarified to The Daily Caller.
Luxshare Precision Industry, AcBel Polytech and Lens Technology directly use forced labor, the report states. The other two—GoerTek and Hefei BOE Optoelectronics—receive supplies from factories that use forced labor.
“The findings raise questions about Amazon’s exposure to China’s repression of minority Uyghurs in Xinjiang—and the extent to which the e-commerce giant is adequately vetting its supplier relationships,” TTP researchers wrote.
Amazon spokesperson Erika Reynoso told The Verge, “Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards. We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action.”
Tech Transparency Project Director Katie Paul told The Daily Caller, “Amazon’s response is yet another broad assurance made to distract from credible evidence without actually addressing it. With the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) soon in effect, we will be interested to see if the company’s public response changes to mirror the additional private scrutiny that they will surely be under from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
Effective June 21, the UFLPA will make it illegal to import products from XUAR.