Human rights Human rights dispute sparked in Beijing costumes – Chinese owner of large Finnish company suspected of forced labor

Forced labor use may also indirectly affect the Beijing Olympics.

The suspicion is the Olympic clothing of Anta Sports and HYX Group, the official clothing suppliers of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

It is impossible to get complete certainty about this, and it says On the obscurity of IOC activities.

Representative uniforms for at least Chinese Olympic athletes are made in Xinjiang Provincewhere forced labor is used.

China’s in the state media has been attacked allegations of forced labor and accused them of lying. According to China, the United States uses “non-political Olympics” to blackmail China.

Beijing the Olympics will go down in history as the background to the Olympic sports festival of one party in China the administration is carrying out extensive repressive measures in Xinjiang Province.

According to the Human Rights Watch, the human rights situation in China has deteriorated further since the ongoing Winter Olympics were given to China in 2015.

According to human rights organizations, China’s repression policy has involved human rights abuses against 13 million Uighur minorities and other Muslims in Xinjiang. Repression policies include imprisonment, torture, sexual exploitation and forced labor. According to some Western countries, a genocide is underway in Xinjiang.

In autumn 2019 KOK saidthat Anta Sports, one of China ‘s largest sportswear manufacturers, is the official supplier of Olympic clothing and the official manufacturer of Olympic clothing for the Chinese HYX Group.

In the summer of 2019, Anta Sports was the first Chinese sportswear manufacturer to join the international Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), which oversees cotton production. BCI, based in Switzerland, is a non-profit organization that aims to make cotton production more sustainable and fair.

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The organization has more than 2,100 members, including cotton producers and clothing manufacturers. Members include international clothing giants such as Adidas, Nike and Puma.

In March 2020, BCI decided to suspend all operations in Xinjiang. It had also involved the granting of BCI licenses for production in that area. BCI announced its decision in October 2020.

“Continued allegations of forced labor and other human rights violations in the Xinjiang region have led to an impossible operating environment. BCI has therefore decided to cease all operations in the area immediately. ”

According to a report released at the end of 2020, more than half a million Chinese belonging to minority groups would be forced to work in cotton production in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang produces one-fifth of the world’s cotton and 84 percent of China’s cotton production. China denied the allegations.

Anta Sports’ s response to the doubts was a statement that it would begin its withdrawal from the BCI. Anta Sports announced that it will continue to source cotton from Xinjiang.

In Finland established sportswear and equipment manufacturer Amer’s owners sold the company to a Chinese-led consortium in 2019. The buyers’ consortium was led by Anta Sports, China’s largest sportswear manufacturer. The Chinese company acquired Amer Sports’ valuable brands, including Wilson, Suunto and Salomon.

Amer Sports’ communications were now handled by Sanoma’s Olympic editorial staffthat the company has reviewed its production chain in accordance with its operating principles and ethical guidelines.

“We have reviewed the product suppliers in our subcontracting chain and found that Amer Sports has no suppliers of finished products in the Xinjiang area. Both Chinese end-product manufacturers and non-Chinese apparel manufacturers used by Amer Sports have demonstrated compliance with Amer Sports’ Code of Ethics, ”Amer Sports Communications Director Anu Sirkiä said.

Amer Sports is still a member of BCI.

“In addition, subcontractors have researched their own subcontracting chain and ensured that Amer Sports’ standards are followed in the supply chain.”

In January 2022 The China Committee of the U.S. Congress expressed concern about the possible use of forced labor in Olympic uniforms.

“Cotton produced in Xinjiang is synonymous with the use and oppression of forced labor within the precincts of. Forced labor plays a significant role in human rights abuses against Uighurs and other Muslim minoritiesThe committee said.

The International Olympic Committee announced in mid-January that it had ordered a third party to inspect the manufacturers of Olympic uniforms.

“The inspection, which began in September 2021, found no forced labor or child labor,” The IOC reported, according to Reuters.

According to the same statement, the Chinese HYX Group said the cotton in its products was not from China, and Anta Sports said it used recycled materials without cotton.

It is very difficult to assess the reliability of insurance policies. The origin of cotton is difficult to ascertain, as raw cotton is mixed into pulp at an early stage of manufacture. Cotton merchants mix raw cotton from different countries to obtain a uniform yarn.

As a problem is, in any event, that a company sourcing cotton from Xinjiang is at very high risk of using forced labor in its production chain.

According to a statement released by the Association of Human Rights Organizations on Monday, the IOC has not been able to take due care to ensure that no forced labor has been used in the manufacture of Olympic costumes and other products. According to human rights organizations, the IOC’s statement on the audit was flawed.

“The IOC has not published the names of the inspectors or the factories where the inspections have been carried out. They have only listed two manufacturers and found that there is no use of forced labor in the Uighur region. That is very questionable, ”said a spokesman for the Workers Rights Consortium Jewher Ilham said an American television channel In an interview with PBS.

Director of Global Operations for Human Rights Watch Minky Worden according to the IOC, it has not been able to credibly verify whether or not forced labor has been used to make the products.

“Olympic rings should reflect five continents. Rather, they are the five rings of oppression, ”Worden told PBS.

Suspicions about competition uniforms and Olympic clothing are one example of how the IOC has avoided addressing human rights violations and crimes in China.

In the absence of transparency in the work of the IOC, it is impossible to dispel any doubts.

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