In the Xinjiang region of China, around 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been subjected to "severe human rights abuses, torture, political indoctrination, forced renunciations of faith, and widespread and systematic forced labor." This slave labor, which is used to produce finished goods and "raw materials like cotton, coal, sugar, tomatoes and polysilicon," contributes to products sold in the United States by major corporations. Now, many of these corporations are lobbying to weaken a bill to combat forced Uyghur labor.
I have no doubt that China is using forced labor and that human rights abuses occur regularly as the Chinese government's mode of operation.
I agree that we should make it illegal to import any products that originate from this Uyghur region and that we should pass laws to make sure that the products we buy in our stores were not produced by slave labor/forced labor.
The one glaring thing to me is that we are pious enough to complain about Chinese forced labor when, in fact, our own U.S. (GOP supported, and yes I am aware that some of this originated in the Clinton administration) private prison system is basically forced labor too.
When many of the "prisoners" in these type of prisons are paid mere cents an hour to produce things for our military and for consumer consumption and while our so-called "war on drugs" supplies many of these prisoners, I just think that along with passing laws that protect human rights abuses worldwide, we should also look inside our own system and make the necessary changes there as well.
made in America. I remember clothing unions. The last time I looked I couldn't find 100% made in America textiles of any kind. If we had those options we could hurt these industries in a big way.
I hardly ever purchase clothing. Used, like from Goodwill makes me feel a tad bit better. Shoes although I have to have good tennis shoes. Bad knee and working on my feet my whole life. These are getting harder to find a decent price.Reebok was the last known company I know of that was USA made. This is where we need to begin. And raise wages, we could be an awesome country again.
Hurting these companies bottom line along with legislation in place I believe we could make the changes needed.
Slave labor will always be there in one form or another. It's sad that's true.
I know many people that don't want to know where it comes from as long as it's cheap 🤦.
Although there is enough good people out there education will really help to push for these changes that we need.
Thank you Judd for your hard detailed and concise work and policing Facebook!
Having been a country that profited financially from slave labor, we in America, know first hand the devastating results it has on people and how those scars continue for generations. We do not have to relearn this lesson from other countries. Slave labor in all its many guises is ethically and morally wrong. Any US companies who profit from this should be prosecuted and fined exponentially. Each and every company should be held directly responsible with no exceptions. I’m sure that would encourage them to accurately check their sourcing of labor. It’s fascinating how companies rush to take responsibility for their incredible profits but when it comes to taking responsibility for ANYTHING else like sexual harassment, racism or use of child or slave labor they have no idea what’s going on or how it happened. Are we still going to believe that ‘lack of knowledge’ is a legitimate excuse? I think not.
Do we actually have evidence it's slave labor besides rhetorics and speculations? Farms and factories in China rarely hire Uyghurs because they tend to be less skilled and cannot speak Mandarin. It would be a losing bet in terms of profit.
I have no doubt that China is using forced labor and that human rights abuses occur regularly as the Chinese government's mode of operation.
I agree that we should make it illegal to import any products that originate from this Uyghur region and that we should pass laws to make sure that the products we buy in our stores were not produced by slave labor/forced labor.
The one glaring thing to me is that we are pious enough to complain about Chinese forced labor when, in fact, our own U.S. (GOP supported, and yes I am aware that some of this originated in the Clinton administration) private prison system is basically forced labor too.
When many of the "prisoners" in these type of prisons are paid mere cents an hour to produce things for our military and for consumer consumption and while our so-called "war on drugs" supplies many of these prisoners, I just think that along with passing laws that protect human rights abuses worldwide, we should also look inside our own system and make the necessary changes there as well.
I so wish, it was easy to buy
made in America. I remember clothing unions. The last time I looked I couldn't find 100% made in America textiles of any kind. If we had those options we could hurt these industries in a big way.
I hardly ever purchase clothing. Used, like from Goodwill makes me feel a tad bit better. Shoes although I have to have good tennis shoes. Bad knee and working on my feet my whole life. These are getting harder to find a decent price.Reebok was the last known company I know of that was USA made. This is where we need to begin. And raise wages, we could be an awesome country again.
Hurting these companies bottom line along with legislation in place I believe we could make the changes needed.
Slave labor will always be there in one form or another. It's sad that's true.
I know many people that don't want to know where it comes from as long as it's cheap 🤦.
Although there is enough good people out there education will really help to push for these changes that we need.
Thank you Judd for your hard detailed and concise work and policing Facebook!
Having been a country that profited financially from slave labor, we in America, know first hand the devastating results it has on people and how those scars continue for generations. We do not have to relearn this lesson from other countries. Slave labor in all its many guises is ethically and morally wrong. Any US companies who profit from this should be prosecuted and fined exponentially. Each and every company should be held directly responsible with no exceptions. I’m sure that would encourage them to accurately check their sourcing of labor. It’s fascinating how companies rush to take responsibility for their incredible profits but when it comes to taking responsibility for ANYTHING else like sexual harassment, racism or use of child or slave labor they have no idea what’s going on or how it happened. Are we still going to believe that ‘lack of knowledge’ is a legitimate excuse? I think not.
Forced labor, to pick cotton. Have we learned nothing? Or do we just not care?
Do we actually have evidence it's slave labor besides rhetorics and speculations? Farms and factories in China rarely hire Uyghurs because they tend to be less skilled and cannot speak Mandarin. It would be a losing bet in terms of profit.