WRC Helps Launch Industry-Wide Call to Action on Forced Labor

July 23, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

The WRC has been helping to bring together a broad network of human rights, labor rights, and Uyghur organizations to address the forced labor crisis in the Uyghur Region and the role of the global apparel industry. This is in addition to the WRC’s ongoing work on this issue in the university apparel context.

Today, the WRC joined more than 190 other organizations, from 36 countries, to ask all apparel brands and retailers to stop sourcing cotton, yarn, and other products from the Uyghur Region and to cut ties with Chinese companies implicated in Uyghur forced labor. You can read the Call to Action issued by the groups here.

Amidst our work to address the massive fallout for garment workers due to the global pandemic, the WRC continues to prioritize the Uyghur forced labor crisis. We hope the WRC’s work will help advance the growing global effort to end forced labor and other crimes against humanity in the Uyghur Region.

Below are links to several news stories on the Call to Action.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions.

Best,

Scott

Reuters
Brands urged to stop sourcing from China’s Xinjiang over forced labour fears

The New York Times
Coalition Brings Pressure to End Forced Uighur Labor

The Guardian
‘Virtually entire’ fashion industry complicit in Uighur forced labour, say rights groups