By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, May 12: Seven companies that supply to tech giant Apple are accused of using forced labor from the restive region of Xinjiang or East Turkestan where China continues to persecute the ethnically Muslim population of Uyghurs, according to a new report by The Information.
The publication stated that six of the seven suppliers were participating in work programs that are offered cover for forced labor by the Chinese government. Human rights groups say that workers are jailed for refusing to join the work programs and that those in the programs are often moved far away from their homes.
Companies such as Luxshare, Avary Holding, Shenzhen Deren Electronic, AcBel Polytech and Lens Technology that supply anything from circuit boards, to antennas, cables, and coatings have enrolled a few thousand workers from Xinjiang, the report said.
An apple spokesperson told The Information that it “found no evidence of forced labor anywhere we operate”. Apple said it looks for forced labor as part of “every assessment” it conducts. “We will continue doing all we can to protect workers and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect,” the spokesperson said.
In March, Apple severed ties with Chinese component supplier Ofilm Group Co. over allegations it’s involved in a government program that transfers ethnic minorities from Xinjiang to other parts of the country for work. The same allegation is levied on the seven suppliers in the report.
Apple which has previously been accused of similar incidents has maintained that it has a “zero tolerance policy” on forced labor. In March 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute also found connections between Apple suppliers and forced Uyghur labor.
Human Rights Watch estimates that over a million Uyghur Muslims are being persecuted in China in internment camps, forcing them to abandon their culture for Chinese customs, like learning the Mandarin language and forcing them to inhumane torture tactics including forced sterilization and gang rape.
