Volkswagen: Stop using Uyghur forced labor
Pablo Di Si, Hans Dieter Pötsch and Oliver Blume, Volkswagen AG
Who are the Uyghurs and why do they need our help?
People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui, are currently the target of the largest organized detention of an ethno-religious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been detained and forced to work under constant surveillance. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), as many as 28 million people are victims of this system and the U.S. has determined that China's treatment of the Uyghurs is genocide.
How is the auto industry profiting from Uyghur slave labor?
In its recent report "Driving Force," Sheffield Hallam University exposes the global auto industry's complicity in the exploitation of millions of Uyghurs in China. Uyghur labor produces just about every car part you can imagine. Tires, windows, the frame, axles, interiors, electronics, and even the hood decal are all made by forced labor.
Why single out Volkswagen AG?
According to "Driving Force," Volkswagen (as SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co, Ltd.) is the first car company to open a plant in the Uyghur region of China and "by far the most significant auto manufacturer in the region." Volkswagen is the largest car manufacturer on the planet. If the company stops using Uyghur forced labor, other companies will take note.
For More Information:
- Driving Force report: "Automotive Supply Chains and Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region"
- Senate Finance Committee Chair Wyden Questions Major Automakers About Supply Chain Links to Forced Labor in Xinjiang, China
- U.S. Department of Labor report on the Uyghurs
- U.S. Customs and Border Patrol report: "Implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: A Challenge Worth the Effort
- U.S. State Department Uyghur determination
- "Eight things you can do to help Uyghurs in a time of genocide," Uyghur Human Rights Project
- End #ForcedLabourFashion Now - campaign website
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To:
Pablo Di Si, Hans Dieter Pötsch and Oliver Blume, Volkswagen AG
From:
[Your Name]
People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui, are currently the target of the largest organized detention of an ethno-religious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been detained. Detainees are made to work under constant surveillance, with assigned minders and no freedom to leave. Their forced labor contributes to the production of goods for numerous multinationals. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), as many as 28 million people are victims of this system and the U.S. State Department has determined that China's treatment of the Uyghurs is genocide.
Volkswagen AG is the largest car manufacturer on the planet. It is unacceptable for you to profit from Uyghur slave labor. Your company's past support of the Nazi regime that murdered six million people should make you more, not less, concerned about the message you send to other car companies and the global community.
We ask you to stop manufacturing your cars in Xinjiang, China. We further ask that the materials for your vehicles come from other places where people are free to exercise their fundamental, human rights.
The world is watching. Will you stand up for human rights and for the Uyghurs?