'Sorry, I'm not buying it' FAQs
What problem is your campaign addressing?
Since around 2017, between one and three million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups have been detained without charge in political ‘re-education camps’ in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (the Uyghur Region).
Many of those released are sent to work in clothing factories in the region and across China that supply Chinese and Western brands. There are also credible reports that, in some cases, factories are in the same compounds as the camps.
Leading apparel brands are bolstering and benefiting – either knowingly or without their knowledge – from the government’s assault on the peoples of the region, and they need to be held to account for their potential complicity in forced labour.
What is the link between forced labour and freedom of religion or belief?
Those that have been forced to work in factories are from predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. They often move to the factories after being released from a ‘re-education camp’, where they are detained and maltreated because of their ethnicity and religion. There are also credible reports that, in some cases, factories are in the same compounds as the camps.
While ethnicity appears to be the most significant factor linking the detentions, and not all detainees are Muslim, there is a significant religious element as well.
Some individuals are detained in connection with their peaceful religious activities. Witnesses also report that inside the camps detainees are required to renounce Islam and promise not to follow religion. Uyghurs and others in the region have been forced to eat pork or drink alcohol, against their religious beliefs.
Which brands might be complicit in forced labour?
The Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour has named dozens of retailers that have been linked to specific cases of Uyghur forced labour, based on evidence from credible investigations and reports (click this link for their list). Some of these brands have publicly committed to reviewing their supply chains, in light of this evidence.
However, virtually the entire clothing industry is potentially tainted by Uyghur forced labour because of how much cotton China sources from the Uyghur Region.
Credible reports claim that the Uyghur Region produces 84% of China’s cotton output and is the main supplier and exporter of cotton/apparel/textile products to Chinese factories within China and internationally. The Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour believes that roughly 1 in 5 cotton garments sold globally contains cotton and/or yarn from the Uyghur Region, and 20% of the world’s cotton comes from the Uyghur Region.
What Coalition is CSW a part of?
CSW is a part of the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour, which is made up civil society organisations and trade unions across the world who are united to end state-sponsored forced labour and other human rights abuses against people from the Uyghur Region. Over 180 organisations have endorsed the Coalition’s ‘Call to Action’, many of whom are not members of the Coalition.
What is the Coalition trying to achieve?
The Coalition’s ‘Call to Action’ is urging retailers to sign a ‘brand commitment’ to cut all ties with suppliers implicated in forced labour and end all sourcing from the Uyghur Region, from cotton to finished garments, within twelve months of signing.
Sign up for updates on the work of CSW
#2 CSW manifesto
We believe no one should suffer discrimination, harassment or persecution because of their beliefs