Frequently Asked Questions

  • Uyghur forced labour is a state-imposed system of exploitation targeting Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic and Muslim-majority people in the Uyghur Region because of their identity. Millions of people have been forcibly transferred from their homes to factories across the region and in mainland China.

    Forced labour transfers are expanded significantly – including outside the region – and have become normalised and institutionalised. In 2023 alone, more than 3 million people were placed into forced labour transfers. 

    These are not voluntary employment programmes. People cannot refuse or leave without risking detention, imprisonment, or retaliation against themselves and their families. Workers face constant surveillance, abusive conditions, political indoctrination, and confinement in factories surrounded by razor wire, iron gates, and security cameras. All of these conditions meet the definition of human trafficking and forced labour under international conventions. UN experts and governments have found that these abuses may constitute crimes against humanity – even genocide.

  • Uyghur forced labour is not happening in isolation. It’s part of a larger system of repression: mass surveillance and detention, family separation, cultural erasure, religious persecution, gender-based violence, and land expropriation.

    Chinese authorities disguise these programmes as "poverty alleviation" initiatives, but, in reality, people have no real choice to refuse participation. 

  • Evidence is overwhelming: survivor and witness testimony, Chinese government and state media records, social media, corporate statements and policies, satellite imagery, research by human rights organisations, academic research,  investigative journalism, and UN reports.

  • Uyghur forced labour is deeply embedded in global supply chains linked to the Uyghur Region. Virtually any workplace within the Uyghur Region is at high risk, including: 

    • Clothing, textiles, and shoes

    • Electronics and ICT

    • Solar and renewable energy 

    • Automotive supply chains

    • Seafood and agriculture

    • PVC building materials 

    • Critical minerals and raw materials

    ANY product made in the Uyghur Region – in whole or in part – or using materials sourced from the region, is at serious risk of being tainted by forced labour.

  • Unlike private-sector forced labour, Uyghur forced labour is organised and enforced by the Chinese government. It is embedded into national economic and social development policies. As a result, companies cannot meaningfully address Uyghur forced labour using traditional private-sector approaches like social audits and should therefore discontinue any supply chain links to subcontractors complicit in Uyghur forced labour. 

  • In the context of state-imposed forced labour in the Uyghur Region, traditional human rights due diligence tools aren’t fit for purpose. 

    Here’s why: 

    • Companies cannot reliably verify that workplaces are free of forced labour.

    • Social audits and certification schemes are NOT designed to identify and address risks of state-imposed forced labour – and should therefore not be considered credible. 

    • Workers cannot speak openly or freely without risking retaliation against themselves or their family.  

    • Civil society, journalists, and human rights defenders face severe restrictions. 

    • Independent audit firms have withdrawn due to safety and credibility concerns.

    As a result, companies have ZERO leverage to change conditions at their suppliers in the Uyghur Region.

  • In the context of state-imposed Uyghur forced labour, the only responsible action a company can take is to fully disengage from the Uyghur Region to avoid contributing to crimes against humanity and genocide. 

    Companies must:

    • Trace their entire supply chain back to the raw material level – including all direct and indirect suppliers, intermediaries, and inputs 

    • Stop sourcing raw materials, inputs, and finished products from the Uyghur Region

    • End all business relationships with suppliers and companies linked to forced labour transfers

    • Shut down all operations – including retail stores –  in the Uyghur Region

    • Disclose how they are identifying and addressing Uyghur forced labour risks 

    What we are asking for is very doable. Some companies have begun moving their supply chains out of the Uyghur Region. In 2024, Volkswagen sold both of its plants and test track in the Uyghur Region. BASF, one of the world's largest chemical companies, also withdrew in 20XX due to similar reports of forced labour at its joint venture. BUT far too many companies remain silent and fail to take meaningful action. 

  • Import bans are one of the most powerful tools we have to fight forced labour. They create real legal and financial consequences for corporations that profit from exploitation. 

    In the United States, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) has already forced companies to trace supply chains and shift sourcing across apparel, solar, automotive, tomatoes, PVC, and other sectors. The EU Forced Labour Regulation (adopted in 2024, enforceable from 2027) will ban goods across the EU market. And momentum is building: a growing number of countries around the world are strengthening or developing forced labour import ban laws.

    BUT these are not enough on their own. More governments must adopt and robustly enforce forced labour import bans. Only a coordinated global response can make sure there is no market for goods made with state-imposed forced labour. 

  • Collective action works. Public pressure has forced Volkswagen to sell its operations, pushed Uniqlo to stop sourcing forced labour cotton, put SHEIN’s IPO under scrutiny, and pressured BCI to expel Huafu. Even the Chinese government has reacted – introducing new regulations to punish companies that move sourcing out of the Uyghur Region.  

    You can help build the pressure. 

    • Join our movement! 

    • Get involved in our corporate campaigns – demand answers from brands.

    • Spread the facts – share with friends, family, and networks. 

    • Push policymakers – urge the adoption of strong import bans 

    • Support Uyghur rights organisations with your donations and by amplifying their voices 

    Every action counts. Every action builds pressure needed to end state-imposed forced labour.

  • We’re a global grassroots movement of Uyghur advocates and allies demanding an end to forced labour. Together, we’re campaigning to hold corporations accountable and push governments to act. 

Still have questions? Get in touch with us here.