No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE | NO FEES, NO PAYWALLS
MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION
NEWSLETTER
Corporate Compliance Insights
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Corporate Compliance Insights
Home Compliance

Menendez, Rubio, Merkley Lead Probe Into U.S. Firm’s Reported Use of Uyghur Forced Labor in China

After Explosive Reuters Report, Lawmakers Seek Answers From Arizona-Based Electronics Company

by Corporate Compliance Insights
October 20, 2021
in Compliance
Menendez, Rubio, Merkley Lead Probe Into U.S. Firm’s Reported Use of Uyghur Forced Labor in China

Menendez, Rubio and Merkley ask Universal Electronics to provide details of agreement with Xinjiang government to transfer 400 workers to company’s Chinese factories

A bipartisan trio of senators is asking for answers from U.S..-based electronics firm Universal Electronics after a report by the Reuters news agency said the company could be implicated in forced-labor practices targeting Uyghur Muslim workers in China. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was joined by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in issuing a letter questioning the company’s possible involvement.

The group of senators is asking the Arizona-based company to provide details on an agreement Universal Electronics made with the Xinjiang government, an agreement the company has said is not related to any mistreatment of China’s Uyghur population. A 2020 BBC investigation found that over the past several years, the Chinese government has forced hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other minorities into manual labor in the Xinjiang region, allegations China has denied.

In June 2021, the U.S. State Department’s annual human trafficking report reinforced the BBC’s reporting, indicating that China’s forced-labor policy had resulted in the mass detention of more than a million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, ethnic Kyrgyz and other Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. That report, the senators wrote, provides documentation of China’s “threats of physical violence, forcible drug intake, physical and sexual abuse, and torture to force detainees to work in adjacent or off-site factories or worksites. American companies must scrupulously avoid forced Uyghur labor in their Chinese operations, including by carefully vetting arrangements with third-party labor agents. [Reuters’ reporting indicates] Universal Electronics may be failing in this duty. We understand that the Uyghurs employed in your Qinzhou facility live in segregated dormitories, are continuously surveilled by police, and are made to participate in government ‘education activities.’… We believe these conditions bear obvious signs of forced labor.”

Universal Electronics told Reuters that it has employed at least 400 Uyghurs in a work-transfer agreement. The company denied that Uyghur workers are treated differently from any others but acknowledged that it does not know how workers are trained in Xinjiang. That revelation, the senators wrote, indicates that, “Universal Electronics is choosing to turn a blind eye. If true, this is a serious failure in your firm’s ethical and fiduciary responsibilities — and, potentially, your duties under U.S. law.”

Universal Electronics Inc. is a NASDAQ-listed supplier of electronics equipment, at various points, selling components and software to Sony, Samsung, LG, Microsoft and others. Read the full text of the letter here.


Previous Post

Proposed Inter-Agency Guidance Would Rewrite the Book on Third-Party Risk Management and Raise the Bar for SOC 2 Compliance

Next Post

Picus Security Closes $24M Series B to Accelerate North American Expansion, Worldwide Growth

Corporate Compliance Insights

Corporate Compliance Insights

Corporate Compliance Insights

Related Posts

supply chain

Only 1 in 4 Manufacturers Have High Confidence in ESG Readiness of Their Supply Chains, Survey Finds

by Staff and Wire Reports
January 27, 2023

Ever-evolving regulatory requirements, consumer demand and investor expectations are all forcing manufacturers to increase the transparency of their supply chain,...

cco pressure

Survey: CCO Pressure High, Resources Low

by Staff and Wire Reports
January 27, 2023

Too few organizations are embracing compliance culture, according to a survey by FTI Consulting and Ethico, which found that while...

growth what next

Growing Pains: Mid-Sized Auditing Firms Are Seeing an Influx of New Clients, But at What Cost?

by Jey Purushotham
January 25, 2023

The era of exponential growth among mid-tier accounting firms is upon us, driven largely by the trend of top-tier firms...

board tech purchase

Directors: Don’t Approve a Tech Purchase Without Asking These Questions

by Jean Hill
January 25, 2023

Board directors don’t need to be able to fix a broken server, but they do need basic technology competence, which...

Next Post
Picus Security Closes $24M Series B to Accelerate North American Expansion, Worldwide Growth

Picus Security Closes $24M Series B to Accelerate North American Expansion, Worldwide Growth

Compliance Job Interview Q&A

Jump to a Topic

AML Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption Artificial Intelligence (AI) Automation Banking Board of Directors Board Risk Oversight Business Continuity Planning California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Code of Conduct Communications Management Corporate Culture COVID-19 Cryptocurrency Culture of Ethics Cybercrime Cyber Risk Data Analytics Data Breach Data Governance DOJ Download Due Diligence Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) ESG FCPA Enforcement Actions Financial Crime Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) GDPR HIPAA Know Your Customer (KYC) Machine Learning Monitoring RegTech Reputation Risk Risk Assessment SEC Social Media Risk Supply Chain Technology Third Party Risk Management Tone at the Top Training Whistleblowing
No Result
View All Result

Privacy Policy

Founded in 2010, CCI is the web’s premier global independent news source for compliance, ethics, risk and information security. 

Got a news tip? Get in touch. Want a weekly round-up in your inbox? Sign up for free. No subscription fees, no paywalls. 

Follow Us

Browse Topics:

  • CCI Press
  • Compliance
  • Compliance Podcasts
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Privacy
  • eBooks Published by CCI
  • Ethics
  • FCPA
  • Featured
  • Financial Services
  • Fraud
  • Governance
  • GRC Vendor News
  • HR Compliance
  • Internal Audit
  • Leadership and Career
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Opinion
  • Resource Library
  • Risk
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Well-Being
  • Whitepapers

© 2022 Corporate Compliance Insights

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Corporate Compliance Insights

Welcome to CCI. This site uses cookies. Please click OK to accept. Privacy Policy
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT