Uyghur Forced Labor Moves Beyond Xinjiang

China’s government has expanded a controversial labor program moving Uyghur workers from Xinjiang to factories across the country. While officials frame these transfers as voluntary employment opportunities aimed at poverty reduction, investigations reveal a more coercive reality. Workers, often leaving home under government supervision, are assigned to factories producing goods for international brands, from appliances to automotive parts.

Reports indicate that tens of thousands of Uyghurs are affected, living in segregated dormitories and monitored closely, with restricted freedom of movement. Despite legal bans in the U.S. and EU on importing goods made with forced labor from Xinjiang, tracking products made outside the region has proven difficult. This loophole allows China to continue supplying global markets while circumventing human rights laws.

Experts warn that these labor transfers are part of a broader strategy of social control, aiming to disperse Uyghur communities and limit cultural expression. 

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