Canadian regulatory authority investigates Nike over forced labor

A Canadian regulatory body announced Tuesday that it is investigating sports giant Nike and mining company Dynasty Gold to determine whether they were involved in forced labor of the Uyghur minority in China.

The Canadian Ombudsman said in a statement that the two companies "are alleged to own or have had supply chains or operations in the People's Republic of China that are identified as using or benefiting from Uyghur forced labor."

The investigations were announced after a coalition composed of 28 civil society organizations filed complaints in June last year about the overseas activities of the two companies.

It is suspected that the Canadian branch of Nike established "supply relationships with Chinese companies that have been identified as using or benefiting from Uyghur forced labor. Nike affirms that it no longer has ties with these companies and has provided information about its due diligence practices," according to the statement.

The second investigation, targeting Dynasty Gold, suggests that the company "benefited from the use of Uyghurs for forced labor in a mine in China where it owns a majority stake."

The statement clarified that Dynasty Gold's response "is that it does not have operational control over the mine and that these allegations emerged after it left the area."

The majority of Uyghurs are from China's Xinjiang province, where the government is accused of detaining more than a million of them and other Muslim minorities in a repressive campaign that human rights groups say includes "crimes against humanity."

China vehemently denies allegations of imposing forced labor on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, stating that training programs, work plans, and improved education have helped eradicate extremism in the region.

Last April, the French prosecutor dismissed a case related to a complaint filed against the fashion groups Uniqlo and Inditex, accusing them of exploiting Uyghur forced labor.

A new complaint was filed last May.

 

AFP