CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 12:30 PM ET
Sabrina Sohail: sabrina@campaignforuyghurs.org
(650) 703-4523
Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) welcomes the new research article published today by Dr. Adrian Zenz, Senior Fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, that sheds light on effective measurement methods of state-imposed forced labor in East Turkistan and other Central Asian regions.
“Measuring Non-Internment State Imposed Forced Labor in Xinjiang and Central Asia: An Assessment of ILO Measurement Guidelines” provides insights into the necessary adaptations that can be taken by international organizations and legislative bodies in their measurement tools to readily identify and address the Uyghur forced labor.
In the new academic paper, Dr. Zenz further emphasizes that the 11 indicators from the International Labor Organization (ILO), which is used by the European Commission’s proposed legislation to prohibit forced labor products in the European market, are inadequate in capturing state-sponsored forced labor. In addition, the paper performs the first academic assessment of the ILO’s 2012 Survey Guidelines for measuring non-internment, state-imposed forced labor in Central Asia.
“[A] set of lesser-known guidelines published by the ILO in 2012 are, with certain adaptations, able to capture forms of non-internment state-imposed forced labor prevalent in Xinjiang and other Central Asian regions,” writes Dr. Zenz. “By contrast, the ILO’s most widely known measurement tool by far, the 11 indicators, were never meant to formally measure forced labor,” he added.
The paper highlights the pervasive coercive environment, the government’s policy mandating work or production quotas, and the fact that victims of non-internment state-imposed forced labor are less likely to freely discuss the oppressive conditions they endure. In his new research, Dr. Zenz asserts that to effectively combat forced labor of this particular nature—an under-conceptualized form of human trafficking, as described by Dr. Zenz—the burden of proof should be reversed, mirroring the approach of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Adrian Zenz for his tireless work to expose and address the state-imposed forced labor in East Turkistan,” said Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of CFU. “The Chinese Communist Party is orchestrating the trafficking of Uyghurs under the guise of government-sponsored initiatives, subjecting them to the horrors of forced labor. International bodies, particularly the ILO, must properly adopt their policies, fortify their mechanisms, and take decisive action in unequivocally identifying and effectively eradicating the practice of Uyghur forced labor.”
CFU calls upon governments, organizations, and entities worldwide to implement the recommendations outlined in Dr. Adrian Zenz’s report to accurately recognize the state-imposed nature of Uyghur forced labor and demand accountability from the Chinese government. We also continue to urge businesses around the world to thoroughly scrutinize their supply chains, ensuring they play no role in perpetuating or facilitating the regime’s Uyghur genocide and crimes against humanity.
