The human rights organization ECCHR has filed charges against German textile companies and traders.
The reason for this is the enslavement of people in China.
Berlin - On the basis of various reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, the European Center for Basic and Human Rights (ECCHR), based in Berlin, has made serious allegations against German companies and trademarks.
The reason: The company's production could potentially benefit from alleged forced labor by Muslim minorities in western China.
The companies that the non-governmental organization mentions in their complaint to the federal prosecutor in charge include supermarket chains such as Aldi * and Lidl * as well as the fashion companies C&A and Hugo Boss.
In these cases, ECCHR had concrete indications of production in the western Chinese Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
The region is home to the Muslim Uighur minority in China, who are reported to be systematically persecuted and forced to work in the textile industry, the cotton harvest or in the clothing sector.
Production in China: Human rights organization reports C&A, Aldi, Lidl and Hugo Boss
According to ECCHR, the supplier lists of the companies indicated indicate that products or services from the region concerned had been used at least until a few months ago.
This shows that German companies also support systematic exploitation and government-sponsored forced labor in China.
"It is unacceptable that European governments criticize China for human rights violations, while the companies may profit from the exploitation of the Uighur population," said Miriam Saage-Maaß, head of the ECCHR program for business and human rights.
+
A human rights organization has reported companies like Lidl and Hugo Boss on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
(Symbol photo)
© Yuan Huanhuan / dpa
The Xinjiang region is not only home to the Uighur minority, but also the area in China where most of the cotton is grown and processed.
According to a Spiegel report, 85 percent of Chinese cotton comes from the province in the west of the country.
According to reports, countless forced laborers from re-education camps are being used in cotton and textile production, especially in state-owned companies in the region.
In the spring, the EU and the USA decided to impose sanctions on the region.
Complaints against Lidl, Aldi, C&A and Co. - companies reject allegations
When asked by the news magazine Spiegel, the companies assured that all supplier relationships in the region had been discontinued since the allegations against the textile industry in the Xinjiang region became known.
Compliance with human rights is very important to all companies.
You can find more background information on consumer topics * on our topic page or in our weekly consumer newsletter *.
Therefore, not only did all business partners confirm that there were no human rights violations in the course of the supply chain.
In some cases, auditors commissioned by the company also checked the production steps.
(ska) *
hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
A few months ago, a consumer protection organization reported against Aldi Nord *.
The discounter is accused of incorrectly labeling its products *.
List of rubric lists: © Yuan Huanhuan / dpa