uyghur forced labor prevention act

 

[actionDate] => 2020-09-22 Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Fri 9 … She hopes attendees of the Chevrei Tzedek event will share what is happening, contact their representatives in support of the The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and support stripping Beijing of its right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. [description] => Introduced ( ), Blog – In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress, House - Foreign Affairs; Ways and Means; Judiciary; Financial Services | Senate - Foreign Relations, Senate - 09/23/2020 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. At the same time, another group of brands is coming under fire – albeit not for distancing themselves from the region, but for allegedly failing to act and concealing their ties to suppliers that operate using the forced labor of more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Chinese detention camps. The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list of foreign entities and individuals knowingly facilitating (1) the forced labor of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang; and (2) efforts to contravene U.S. laws regarding the importation of forced labor goods from Xinjiang. ", "The U.S. Must Use the New Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act to Sanction Chinese Officials for Religious Persecution", "AFL-CIO Supports Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act", "ERLC praises U.S. ban on Chinese imports", "ERLC supports Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act", "Global Brands Wary Amid Reports of Forced Labor in China's Xinjiang", "US ban on China's Xinjiang cotton 'would wreak havoc', leading apparel group says", "U.S. Chamber Letter on H.R. This bill imposes various restrictions related to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, including by prohibiting certain imports from Xinjiang and imposing sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations there. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Cowen outlines why the proposed Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act poses risks to retail and flags Revolve and Farfetch for China exposure. Array [21][22] A list of Chinese companies that have relied on forced labor would be compiled. Here are the steps for Status of Legislation: This bill imposes various restrictions related to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, including by prohibiting certain imports from Xinjiang and imposing sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations there. [6], In November 2019, Nathan Ruser, researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said, You can't be sure that you don't have coerced labour in your supply chain if you do cotton business in China ... Xinjiang labour and what is almost certainly coerced labour is very deeply entrenched into the supply chain that exists in Xinjiang. [externalActionCode] => 8000 [23], United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commissioners Gary Bauer,[24] James W. Carr,[25] and Nury Turkel[26] have called on Congress to pass the act. Call to action on human rights abuses in the Uyghur Region in the apparel and textiles sector. [chamberOfAction] => House Han estimates that there are 500,000 to 800,000 people held in the more than seventy prisons in Xinjiang and that these prisoners are used for forced labor in numerous industries. [33], Xinjiang re-education camps § Forced labor, Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, "U.S. This is a legal way to protect Uyghurs from slavery. 4 Vocation Skills Education Training Center (VSETC). In 2014, a little over 200,000 IUDs were inserted in Xinjiang. [5]:46 Han's study concludes that products of this forced labor system have entered into international commerce, including the US and Europe, and that governments, companies and consumers should assume that any cotton products sourced from China are the product of forced labor in Xinjiang (XUAR). [description] => Passed House ), Array The AFL-CIO and Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention have supported the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Bipartisan lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act this week, which would require that companies prove any … A previous version of the bill passed in the House last September by a 403-6 vote, but updated versions have since been reintroduced in the House and Senate with co-sponsors from both parties. [displayText] => Introduced in House [16], On September 22, 2020 the bill passed the House by a 406–3 vote, with Republicans Thomas Massie, Warren Davidson and Libertarian Justin Amash voting against. [displayText] => Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 406 - 3 (Roll no. CNN RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing Web content, such as news headlines. Missy Owens no longer works for the company, leaving in November of 2020 before Coca-Cola partnered with Nike in additional opposition against the “Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act” that seeks to ban “all imports from Xinjiang unless a company can clearly prove that the products were not made by slaves,” Breitbart’s Frances Martel reported on the bill. The New York Times reported shortly after she left the company that Coca-Cola had joined Nike and other companies in lobbying against the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act. September 22, 2020: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act H.R. [citation needed], On September 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security blocked imports of products from four entities in Xinjiang: all products made with labor from the Lop County No. Closer to home, Genocide Watch put out a … [8], On September 17, 2020, China's State Council Information Office rejected claims of forced labor in Xinjiang, saying that ideologically biased international forces have applied double standards to Xinjiang and denied recognition of local efforts to protect human rights. This debate was only the second … [2], On September 22, 2020 the bill passed the House by 406–3 vote. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is a bill in the United States Congress that would change U.S. policy on Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR, or Xinjiang) with the goal of ensuring that American entities are not funding forced labor among ethnic minorities in the region. [30], The president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association said that blanket import bans on cotton or other products from Xinjiang from such legislation would "wreak havoc" on legitimate supply chains in the apparel industry because Xinjiang cotton exports are often intermingled with cotton from other countries and there is no available origin-tracing technology for cotton fibers. Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co., Ltd. Lop County Meixin Hair Products Co., Ltd. No. [5]:5 The report recommended banning certain imports from Xinjiang to the United States. 196). Securities issuers required to file annual or quarterly reports with the Securities Exchange Commission shall disclose in such reports certain information related to Xinjiang, including instances where the issuer knowingly (1) engaged in activities with an entity helping to create mass surveillance systems in Xinjiang, (2) engaged in activities with an entity running or building detention facilities for Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, or (3) conducted a transaction with any person sanctioned for the detention or abuse of Uyghurs or other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. Endorse the global campaign for fashion brands to end complicity in Uyghur forced labour.. "[32] Major companies with supply chain ties to Xinjiang, including Apple Inc., Nike, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company, have lobbied Congress to weaken the legislation and amend its provisions. [externalActionCode] => 1000 This page was last edited on 9 April 2021, at 20:39. [3], Between 2014 and 2018, the cotton industry in Xinjiang saw a massive increase in output and employment. The "Call to Action" on human rights abuses in the Uyghur Region in the apparel and textiles sector is supported to date by 370+ trade unions, investors, NGOs, Uyghur groups, and faith-based groups from 40 countries.Organizations can endorse here.. Several major companies have reportedly fought efforts to end the practice of forced labor — specifically the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which passed the House by a vote of 403-6 in September. Uyghur Act signed into law", Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, "HEARING: Forced Labor, Mass Internment, and Social Control in Xinjiang", Congressional-Executive Commission on China, "Xinjiang cotton sparks concern over 'forced labour' claims", "Coalition Brings Pressure to End Forced Uighur Labor", "Full Text: Employment and Labor Rights in Xinjiang", "STATEMENT BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNING THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION OF UYGHURS AND OTHER TURKIC MUSLIMS IN XINJIANG, CHINA", "Canada's Parliament Labels China's Abuses in Xinjiang 'Genocide,' Urges Government Action", "China slams Canada after report calls Uighur policy 'genocide, "DHS Cracks Down on Goods Produced by China's State-Sponsored Forced Labor", "U.S. to block some imports from China's Xinjiang, still studying broad cotton, tomato bans-DHS", "US halts imports from China's Uighur region for forced labor", "US to Detain Cotton Imports Produced by Xinjiang Paramilitary Group, Citing Forced Labor Concerns", Commerce Department Adds Eleven Chinese Entities Implicated in Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang to the Entity List, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2020/07/22/the-11-sanctioned-chinese-companies-what-they-sell-and-to-whom-they-sell-it/?sh=65945bfc47eb, "McGovern, Smith, Colleagues Re-Introduce the Bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act", "U.S. lawmakers seek to tighten ban on forced-labor goods from China's Xinjiang", "Glavin: Don't show up at Black Lives Matter rallies in clothes made by slaves", "Concentration camps and forced labor: China's repression of the Uighurs, explained", "USCIRF Welcomes Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory", "Was Your Face Mask Made Using Forced Labor in China? The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force and the Department of State shall report to Congress strategies to address forced labor in Xinjiang. A bipartisan bill, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), would ban imports of goods produced by a list of entities with involvements in Xinjiang. [7], According to an August 2020 piece in The New York Times (NYT), it was estimated that roughly one in five cotton garments sold globally contains cotton or yarn from Xinjiang. [5]:5 Han says that because Xinjiang supplies nearly 84 percent of China's cotton, any cotton, textile or garment products from China are likely tainted with forced labor. ( Hong Kong, April 12 (ANI): The horrors of Chinese atrocities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in China's northwest, are inexorably emerging on an almost daily basis. It also reported that investigations by NYT, Wall Street Journal, and Axios found evidence connecting the detention of Uyghurs to supply chains of major fashion retailers. Lawmakers also proposed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act requiring the assumption that all Xinjiang goods are made with forced labor and therefore banned. 6210, the "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act," and H.R. The second thing is, there is a bill called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in the Congress right now. 6270, the "Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020, "Nike and Coca-Cola Lobby Against Xinjiang Forced Labor Bill", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uyghur_Forced_Labor_Prevention_Act&oldid=1016929827, Proposed legislation of the 116th United States Congress, United States foreign relations legislation, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Articles to be expanded from September 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. This makes due diligence through labor inspections impossible and virtually guarantees that any brand sourcing from the Uyghur Region is using forced labor." The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would require U.S. companies to guarantee they do not use imprisoned or coerced workers from the predominantly Muslim region … [20], The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would make it U.S. policy to assume (a "rebuttable presumption") that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are made with forced labor, unless the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection certifies that certain goods are known to not have been made with forced labor. “(A) make a determination with respect to whether any investigation is needed into the possible imposition of sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. (. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would require companies sending goods to the United States to scrutinize those supply chains, or perhaps abandon Chinese suppliers altogether. Apple paid Fierce Government Relations, a Washington, D.C. firm, $90,000 to lobby the House and Senate on multiple pieces of legislation, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, according to Fierce’s lobbying disclosure filing. [chamberOfAction] => House Soeren Kern … Baoding LYSZD Trade and Business Co., Ltd. Changji Esquel Textile Co. Ltd. (subsidiary of. After being notified of such a disclosure, the President shall determine whether to investigate if sanctions or criminal charges are warranted. [4][5]:46, According to an August 2019 book by Han Lianchao, Vice President of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, forced labor is so commonplace in Xinjiang that it is difficult to separate the forced labor economy from the regular economy. The bill would further require firms to disclose their dealings with Xinjiang. [3], An updated version was reintroduced on February 18, 2021. Turkel said persons in the Xinjiang re-education camps are often moved to factories and recommended bans on cotton and textile products from Xinjiang until internment policies are abolished and conditions for due diligence are established. Goods manufactured or produced in Xinjiang shall not be entitled to entry into the United States unless Customs and Border Protection (1) determines that the goods were not manufactured by convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor under penal sanctions; and (2) reports such a determination to Congress and to the public. Nike on Wednesday denied the company was using any type of textiles or spun yarn from the Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XUAR), where China has been accused of holding Uyghur … [3] The three no votes were cast by Justin Amash, Warren Davidson and Thomas Massie. We regularly provide insight and feedback at the request of policymakers on a wide range of public policy issues, including human rights and supply chain integrity, and have not lobbied against the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or any other proposed forced labor legislation. Beijing is generating propaganda about the Uyghur people and what is taking place, Abbas said. A Uyghur-American activist rallies in front of the White House in support of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, in October 2020. [31] On September 22, 2020, the US Chamber of Commerce issued a letter stating that the act "would prove ineffective and may hinder efforts to prevent human rights abuses. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is a bill in the United States Congress that would change U.S. policy on Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR, or Xinjiang) with the goal of ensuring that American entities are not funding forced labor among ethnic minorities in the region.. On September 22, 2020 the bill passed the House by 406–3 vote. In response, China has continually changed its narrative about its mass internment of Uyghurs. USA: Coalition demands companies to disclose lobbying against Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; includes company responses Date: 5 Feb 2021 Content Type: Article. Updated version: October 2020. It was also slashing the Uyghur birthrate with the use of policies like mass sterilization and forced IUD implantation. [9], On October 21, 2020, the Subcommittee on International Human Rights (SDIR) of the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development called on the Canadian government to condemn Beijing's policies against the Uyghurs, which the subcommittee said included forced labour. It … Call out corporations profiting from forced labor goods. On April 22, 2021, British Parliamentarians recognized the atrocities perpetrated against the Uyghurs as genocide. [10][11][12], Since 1930, all goods made with forced labor have been banned in the United States under the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act. [5]:58, In September 2019, Nury Turkel, an Uyghur American lawyer and human rights advocate, testified to Congress that Uyghurs were being swept into a vast system of forced labor. Under current rules, goods are banned if there is reasonable evidence of forced labor in the creation of the goods. Lawmakers Propose Tough Limits on Imports from Xinjiang", "Major advocacy victory! Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola and other American companies lobbied against the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act last year. Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Xinjiang Junggar Cotton and Linen Co., Ltd. The bill also calls for the President of the United States to impose sanctions on "any foreign person who 'knowingly engages'" in forced labor using minority Muslims. The resolution follows a similar bipartisan effort in the Senate in January, when Sens. The President shall impose property-blocking sanctions on the listed individuals and entities and impose visa-blocking sanctions on the listed individuals. The document cites Beijing's "mass detention" of the Uyghurs, as well as evidence of forced sterilization, rape, torture and forced labor.