child labor in china apple

China has begun taking steps to limit access to government information from outside the country, human rights groups say. Apple, Nike and Coca-Cola are among the companies lobbying Congress for changes in a bill that would ban goods made with forced labor in China's … Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. With its stock more than doubling over the last year, Lens Technology is now worth more than $130 billion. “Looking for the presence of forced labor is part of every supplier assessment we conduct, including surprise audits. “Although they are young, most of them have two years of experience,” the article says. Lens also supplies Amazon and Tesla, according to its annual report. (AFP/Getty Images), Zhou Qunfei, the chairwoman and president of Lens Technology, in 2015. In 2017, Apple discovered that Foxconn had employed high school students to build the iPhone X while working illegal overtime. Apple suppliers in China have been tapping high schoolers to staff their factories in a scramble to meet demand for the iPhone X. Foxconn has brought on … Apple supplier Foxconn also faced allegations of abusive conditions that led to a spate of suicides about a decade ago. In recent years, as human rights groups have used the postings as evidence, the government has been posting less material, researchers said. Forbes estimates Zhou’s net worth at $15.2 billion, making her the world’s richest self-made woman and putting her just shy of the estate of Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, according to Forbes. In state media and other official channels, the Chinese government has announced transfers of workers from Xinjiang to factories outside the region, often specifying the specific factories where the laborers are destined to work. He said Apple earlier this year ensured that none of its other suppliers are using Uighur labor transferred from Xinjiang. That report detailed labor transfers to factories owned by O-Film, Hubei Yihong Precision Manufacturing and Highbroad Advanced Material, all manufacturers with ties to Apple’s supply chain. Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft and Tesla have been named in a lawsuit alleging the exploitation of underage labor in the Democratic Republic of … Uighur workers transferred from Xinjiang to other regions of China are often, if not always, forced or coerced, according to human rights groups and academics who have conducted interviews with people who have escaped the system. Apple investigates report that Chinese students were forced to make its watches The report also pointed to an overwork problem at the factory. A photograph of the Uighur laborers on the plane, wearing masks, shows them holding the “thumbs up” sign, alongside airline staff, who all appear to be Han Chinese, the majority ethnic group in the country. Apple on Monday denied most of what is in a report which alleges that the iPhone-maker and its manufacturing partner Foxconn violated Chinese labor law.. China Labor … One study found that on average, a child who works 6.75 hours a day has 6.42 fewer hours to study. It has also recently spread to India, where Apple has been building up its manufacturing base. Apple is lobbying against a bill aimed at stopping forced labor in China Apple wants to water down key provisions of the bill, which would hold U.S. companies accountable for … By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Apple, among other companies, has dispatched lobbyists to Capitol Hill regarding legislation that would hold U.S. companies accountable for using forced labor from the region, according to Apple’s lobbying disclosure forms. Highbroad’s annual report lists Apple supplier BOE Technology Group as its biggest customer. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Gretchen Whitmer Removes $220M Meant for Michigan Unemployment Fund From COVID Relief Bill, Washington region records most daily virus deaths since start of the pandemic. The documents, discovered by the Tech Transparency Project and … Still, Apple has faced criticism for its labor practices in the past, particularly in China. The documents, discovered by the Tech Transparency Project and shared exclusively with The Washington Post, detail how thousands of Uighur workers from the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang were sent to work for Lens Technology. Corporate giants including Nike face growing calls to cut ties with suppliers alleged to be using "forced labour" from China's Uighur people. We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. But the text of the article uses language that human rights groups say reveals the workers might not be going by choice. The company joins several other Apple supply partners said to have benefitted from forced labor in China. Apple and other tech companies have previously been accused of sourcing raw materials from African mines that purportedly rely on child labor. Apple benefits from forced Uighur labor at its iPhone supplier factories in China, according to an explosive new report Isobel Asher Hamilton 2020-03-02T13:16:49Z The Australian report also alleged a transfer of Uighur laborers to Foxconn’s “iPhone city,” the largest assembly plant for iPhones. Poor treatment of workers in the Chinese factories which make Apple products is discovered by an undercover BBC Panorama investigation. Study: Nike, Apple, BMW Among 83 Brands Using Chinese Muslim Slave Labor. The lobbyists are trying to water down the bill, according to congressional staffers. As always, our focus is on making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and we will continue doing all we can to protect workers in our supply chain.”. "Chinese labor … Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company has confirmed that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. The company has a supplier code of conduct and says it assessed 1,142 suppliers in 49 countries in 2019, ensuring that good labor conditions are upheld. The documents unearthed by Tech Transparency Project don’t detail the working conditions in Lens Tech factories. Lens Technology is one of at least five companies connected to Apple’s supply chain that have now been linked to alleged forced labor from the Xinjiang region, according to human rights groups. O-Film appears on Apple’s supplier list. Still it highlights the consequences of unregulated development in the race to bring costs down, as a response to consumer demand for ever cheaper products. 33,705. Byler said it is the first time he has seen direct evidence that the Integrated Joint Operations Platform has been used in China’s “forced labor scheme,” as he calls it. A report published Sunday by an Australian think tank revealed that as many as 83 internationally known brands – including Nike, BMW, Apple, Sony, Google, Lacoste, and Nintendo – have active ties to factories where evidence suggests … Human rights workers say news articles like these are the result of coordinated government propaganda. The Chinese government has helped facilitate the transfer of workers out of Xinjiang to work in electronics factories all over China. Ahead of Apple's new iPhone unveiling set for Tuesday, a New York-based watchdog group released a report accusing the tech giant and its partner Foxconn of breaking Chinese labor laws to … Apple has finally come clean and admitted that its biggest manufacturing partner is employing school kids for up to 11 hours a day to make their ultra-expensive iPhone X. Rosenstock has said Apple doesn’t receive shirts from Xinjiang, but would not say whether the company ever did in the past. One of the oldest and most well-known iPhone suppliers has been accused of using forced Muslim labor in its factories, according to documents uncovered by a human rights group, adding new scrutiny to Apple’s human rights record in China. (Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.). A March report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that implicated four Apple suppliers in alleged forced labor transfers relied in part on publicly available documents. In another alleged propaganda video, posted online in 2019, Uighur workers are seen attending a National Day celebration in front of a red banner that reads “All Workers Sent by the Kashgar Region Human Resources and Social Security Bureau to Lens Tech: Welcome National Day — Sing Red Songs. “Our research shows that Apple’s use of forced labor in its supply chain goes far beyond what the company has acknowledged,” said Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project. The Washington Post - One of the oldest and most well-known iPhone suppliers has been accused of using forced Muslim labor in its factories, according to documents uncovered by a human rights group, adding new scrutiny to Apple’s human rights record in China. It's tempting to say that child labour in China is an outdated issue, at least when you look at the share of the population affected by the problem.Compared to other countries, it isn't nearly as widespread in China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images. Technology giant Apple has admitted that child labour has been employed at some of the factories that build its iPods, computers and mobile phones. The Chamber of Commerce highlighted the use of its “paramilitary” style of managing the workers to keep them “organized, disciplined, regulated,” according to the article. Apple has discovered multiple cases of child labour in its supply chain, including one Chinese company that employed 74 children under the age of 16, … To get a job, applicants must pass a “political review,” according to the posting, carried out by local police and approved by the National Security Brigade. In some cases, workers have said that when they “accept” the job, they live in heavily guarded campuses and are rarely allowed to leave. The transfers are sometimes organized by regional chambers of commerce, which operate as quasi-governmental agencies, and labor recruitment companies that act as intermediaries and arrange for workers to be sent to specific factories. The government has billed the transfers as part of a poverty alleviation effort spearheaded by the country’s central leadership. Rosenstock said Hubei and Highbroad have no connection to Apple’s supply chain. €5 every 4 weeks or just €50 €20 for the first year, €7 every 4 weeks or just €70 €30 for the first year. It was a remarkable rise for a young woman who hailed from a poor village and began as a factory worker herself. Lens Technology didn’t respond to requests for comment. The Chinese government does not permit human rights groups to enter the country to interview laborers or observe conditions. The computer giant company, Apple, has admitted that child labor was used at the factories that built its computers, iPods and mobile phones. Hubei is a subsidiary of Dongguan Yidong Electronic, which listed Apple as a customer on its website. While some suppliers are small or work for Apple through middlemen, Apple has a much closer relationship with its major suppliers such as Lens. Some Uighur workers have told human rights groups that they were given a choice between taking a job in a far-flung factory or being sent to a detention center. Lately, Apple suppliers and manufacturers are running into a lot of troubles. “The cadres have the authority to send people back to Xinjiang, place them in camps,” Byler said. (AFP/Getty Images). As part of the review, the notice says, information on Uighur workers will then be sent to the Integrated Joint Operations Platform. Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible business termination. O-Film appears on Apple’s supplier list. See our, Read a limited number of articles each month, You consent to the use of cookies and tracking by us and third parties to provide you with personalized ads, Unlimited access to washingtonpost.com on any device, Unlimited access to all Washington Post apps, No on-site advertising or third-party ad tracking. Zhou used her modest savings to build a lens supply business, becoming one of the world’s few female self-made billionaires. This article has been updated with additional comment from Apple. co. comments In September 2019, China Labor Watch released a report revealing numerous labour rights violations at the Zhengzhou Foxconn factory, the largest iPhone factory in the world. Apple is lobbying against a bill aimed at stopping forced labor in China. Labor transfers to Lens Technology go back to at least two years, according to the recently uncovered documents. In February, Uighur workers from Xinjiang destined for a Lens Technology factory were among the first passengers to fly on a chartered flight within China after the pandemic shut down civil aviation, according to an article highlighted in the Tech Transparency Project’s report. We rely on readers like you to uphold a free press. Hubei is a subsidiary of Dongguan Yidong Electronic, which listed Apple as a customer on its website. When the iPhone launched in 2007, Lens Technology won the contract to supply the glass screen covering. In response to faxed questions from The Post, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing called forced labor in China “nonexistent” and accused people with “ulterior motives“ of fabricating it. “In the new year, I still want to continue to work hard, learn more skills, earn more money, so that my family can live a good life out of poverty and let parents rest assured,” one of the workers is quoted as saying in the article. Last month, Foxconn … Xinjiang, in the far reaches of Western China bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries, is facing a brutal crackdown by China’s government, which has placed more than a million Muslims in concentration camps or forced them to work in factories making everything from cotton to soft drinks to electronics. Be grateful to The Party.” Kashgar is a city in the Xinjiang region. Researchers say the articles are sometimes taken down before they are discovered by human rights groups. A notice from the Turpan Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, posted on a Chinese job recruitment site in 2018, announced the planned transfer of 1,000 “surplus urban and rural labor” to Lens Technology. You also agree to our Terms of Service. There is a positive correlation between child labor and school drop out rates. Something has to be done about the human-rights abuses in China that appear to include slave/forced labor for the benefit of U.S. companies such as Apple. In a previous report, the Tech Transparency Project alleged the cotton T-shirts worn by Apple Store employees were also sourced from forced labor in Xinjiang. Human Rights Group Alleges Apple’s Supplier Using Forced Labor in China Posted by Mahit Huilgol on Dec 29, 2020 in News. It has also recently spread to India, where Apple has faced criticism for its labor practices in Chinese. Like these are the result of coordinated government propaganda of our policies has consequences! 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