Modern Slavery: Uighur People in Xinjiang
China has one million Uighur people imprisoned in concentration camps producing 20% of the cotton we use: here we look at what is happening and why.
This week I read Gulbahar Haitiwaji’s essay 'Our souls are dead', describing the 2 years that she was imprisoned in one of China's so-called 'Re-education' camps. The personal story has stuck with me all week.
China is persecuting and detaining Uighurs - a Muslim minority group who mainly live in Xinjiang province. It is estimated to be up to a million people - the largest imprisonment of people on the basis of religion since the holocaust.
Why is this happening? China has embarked on an enormous development project - the Belt and Road Initiative. Xinjiang is a key location, with many of the links passing through this area.
Unfortunately, your life is almost certainly intertwined with the plight of the Uighurs. In these concentration camps, Uighurs are being forced into labour, producing commodities such as PPE and cotton. This accounts for 20% of the worlds cotton supply. It's used throughout the fashion industry and it's virtually impossible for brands to establish where their cotton came from.
Freedom United hosted a panel 'Forced Labour Fashion: How the Uyghur Crisis Taints our Clothes' This discussion was held on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.