A new complaint of iPhone workers being used as forced labor in China appeared today after an investigation by the Technological Transparency Project.
This suggests that the glass supplier of iPhone Lens Technology has been using Muslim minority Uighurs, who had the option of working at the company’s factory or being sent to detention centers that were compared to concentration camps …
The Washington Post loads the report.
One of the oldest and best-known iPhone suppliers has been accused of using forced Muslim labor in its factories, according to documents discovered by a human rights group, adding a new scrutiny to Apple’s human rights record 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 […]
Lens Technology is one of at least five companies connected to Apple’s supply chain that are now linked to alleged forced labor in the Xinjiang region, according to human rights groups. Lens Technology stands out from other Apple component suppliers because of its high-profile founder and long, well-documented history that dates back to the early days of the iPhone.
As in previous reports, the company is located in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government reportedly placed more than a million Uighurs in detention centers or forced them to work for companies in prison-like conditions.
The Chinese government claims that all Uighur workers are there by choice, but an American academic says this is misleading at best.
“In fact, there is no longer any way to give informed consent in Xinjiang because the threat of extrajudicial detention is very extreme,” said Darren Byler, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies Uighur migrants […]
The Chinese government does not allow human rights groups to enter the country to interview workers or observe conditions.
Apple denies the allegations, saying it has specific checks in place.
Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company had confirmed that Lens Technology had not received any transfer of labor from Uighur workers in Xinjiang. He said Apple earlier this year ensured that none of its other suppliers used Uighur labor transferred from Xinjiang.
“Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor,” said Rosenstock. “The search for the presence of forced labor is part of all supplier evaluations that we carry out, including surprise audits. These protections apply to the entire supply chain, regardless of the person’s job or location. Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible closure of business. As always, our focus is on ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and we will continue to do everything we can to protect the workers in our supply chain.
Earlier this month, Apple filed a lawsuit against iPhone camera supplier O-Film over similar acts of forced labor, although the report says the Cupertino company has not yet fully removed the company from its supply chain. supplies.
An earlier report of forced labor involved LCD screen maker BOE and a clothing company that allegedly made T-shirts for Apple Store employees.
Many now believe that it is impossible to use any Xinjiang-based supplier without risking complicity in using forced labor.
Photo: Reuters
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