China is accused of forced use of Muslims in car production
HRW has accused China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of forcing millions of Chinese Muslims in labor camps to produce aluminum needed to make auto parts.
Chinese companies have been accused of using forced labor in the northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (UUAR) to produce aluminum needed to make auto parts. This is mentioned in the report of Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization.
"The world's automakers, including General Motors, Tesla, BYD, Toyota and Volkswagen, cannot avoid the minimal risk of Uyghur forced labor in their aluminum supply chains," the report said.
According to the HRW report, the prisoners were forced to work in aluminum smelters.
According to the International Aluminum Institute, more than 15 percent of aluminum, which is 9 percent of world production, is smelted in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
HRW has warned consumer companies against buying aluminum from the region and called for the metal's origins to be closely monitored.
Germany and the United States have made special demands in this regard , and HRW calls on the labor ministries of these countries to take legal measures to prevent the use of forced labor products by companies.
The organization included the actions of the Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as crimes against humanity.
In 2022, a UN report cited possible crimes against humanity committed by China in the SHUAR , where more than 1 million Uyghurs are believed to have been arbitrarily detained as part of the Chinese government's campaign against terrorism and separatism.
