Two investigations have been launched in Canada against Nike Canada and the mining company Dynasty Gold, regarding allegations of the use of forced labor by Uyghurs, the Office of the Canadian Corporate Accountability Ombudsman announced on Tuesday. “These companies, Nike Canada Corp. (Nike) and Dynasty Gold Corporation (Dynasty Gold), allegedly had or had supply chains or operations in the People’s Republic of China defined as using or profiting from the use of forced Uyghur labor,” it reads. , in a press release.
For several years, reports from NGOs and think tanks have denounced the exploitation in China of members of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, in fields, workshops and factories supplying raw materials or finished products. In addition to Nike, big names in textiles (Adidas, Lacoste, Gap, Puma, H
Reports on the overseas activities of Nike Canada and Dynasty Gold were released Tuesday after several complaints were filed by a coalition of 28 civil society organizations in June 2022. Nike Canada is suspected of maintaining “ supply relationships with several Chinese companies” that are “identified as companies that use or profit from forced Uyghur labor,” according to one of the reports.
“At first glance, the allegations made by the plaintiffs raise serious questions about the possible infringement of the internationally recognized right to be free from forced labor,” underlines the report devoted to Nike Canada. The plaintiffs argue that “there is no indication that Nike Canada has taken any meaningful steps to ensure beyond a reasonable doubt that forced labor is not part of its supply chain.”
Contacted in the evening by AFP, the sports equipment manufacturer did not react immediately. The second investigation targets the Canadian mining company Dynasty Gold, which allegedly “benefited from the use of forced Uyghur labor in a mine in China in which it holds a majority stake”. Both companies dispute the allegations. The announcement of the opening of investigations was welcomed by the Uyghur Rights Defense Project (PDDO), an association based in Ottawa, which applauded “an important step in the right direction”.
For several years, the Chinese authorities have been accused by Western countries of having massively locked up Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim minorities in re-education camps, after bloody attacks in the Xinjiang region. In February 2021, the Canadian Parliament passed a non-binding motion equating China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority with “genocide”, angering Beijing.
In France, justice closed without action in April a preliminary investigation targeting clothing giants such as Uniqlo and Inditex, accused by associations of having profited from the forced labor of Uyghurs in China. A new complaint was filed in May. That same month, a group of US lawmakers asked the Wall Street constable to demand an independent investigation into allegations of Uyghur forced labor against several clothing groups, including Nike.
