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(CNN) - The British supermarket Tesco reported that it suspended production in a Chinese factory, after accusations that prisoners were being forced to pack Christmas cards for charity.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that six-year-old Florence Widdicombe and who lives in Mitcham, south London, opened a box of Tesco charity Christmas cards and discovered a desperate message in one of them.
- LOOK: Did they force Chinese prisoners to pack Christmas cards?
"We are foreign prisoners in the Shanghai Qingpu prison, China," the message read. “Forced to work against our will. Please help us and notify a human rights organization, ”the message continued.
The card also asked the recipient to "contact Mr. Peter Humphrey," a British journalist who spent two years in Chinese prisons, including Qingpu. Widdicombe's father contacted Humphrey, who reported the story of The Sunday Times.
Humphrey wrote that he contacted several members of an "informal network of ex-prisoners," who informed him that inmates in the foreign prison unit are being forced to perform "mundane manual assembly or packing tasks."
Another former prisoner, who now lives in Britain, told Humphrey that the prisoners were packing Christmas cards and gift tags for Tesco for at least two years. The reporter himself - who he said was imprisoned for "false charges" for his work as a corporate fraud investigator - said that during his time in Qingpu prison he had seen "product labels with the names of other recognized brands."
- LOOK: China denies accusations of forced labor after message of help on Christmas cards
"We hate the use of prison labor and would never allow it in our supply chain," a Tesco spokesman said in a statement.
“We are shocked by these accusations and immediately suspend the factory where these cards are produced and begin an investigation. We also remove these cards from the sale while we investigate, ”he added.
"We have a comprehensive audit system and this provider was independently audited last month and no evidence was found to suggest that they had violated our rule prohibiting the use of labor in prison," the company said, adding that If a provider violates the rules, it is removed from the list immediately and permanently.
CNN has tried to contact the Chinese authorities to get a comment on the accusations of forced labor in Qinpu, but could not communicate with anyone.
The supermarket donates 300,000 euros ($ 390,000) a year to charities that include the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK.
Duarte Mendonca of CNN contributed to this report.
Prison Complaints Prison Forced work
