The United States government should vigorously enforce a new law that aims to prevent imports linked to forced labour by Uyghurs and other persecuted groups in China, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which goes into effect on June 21 gives US authorities increased powers to block the import of goods linked to forced labour in China.
Since 2017, Chinese authorities have committed crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the northwest Xinjiang region, detaining as many as one million people and subjecting detainees and others to forced labour inside and outside Xinjiang. The new law creates a presumption that goods made in whole or in part in Xinjiang, or produced by entities in China linked to forced labour, are not eligible to be imported into the United States.
"The new US law means it's no longer business as usual for companies profiting from forced labour in China, and Xinjiang especially," said Jim Wormington, senior researcher and advocate for corporate accountability at HRW. "Companies should swiftly identify any supply chain links to Xinjiang and exit the region or risk violating US law and seeing their goods detained at the US border."
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