Badger Sportswear, Statesville, N.C., is investigating the claims made by an Associated Press report that Muslim detainees in Chinese internment camps are making some of the company’s products.
In the AP’s report, Badger has received ongoing shipments from a factory located in a Chinese internment camp where ethnic minorities are forced to work and live. These imports are illegal because they are the product of forced labor, which the United States and the United Nations call a form of modern-day slavery, according to the AP.
The AP has observed at least 10 shipments containing athletic gear for men, women and children from that camp were sent to Badger.
Badger’s Chief Executive Officer John Anton says the company is investigating the shipments and will source sportswear from other locations in the meantime.
“We will voluntarily halt sourcing and will move production elsewhere while we investigate the matters raised,” Anton says.
Two years ago, the Chinese government launched a “reeducation” campaign aimed at Muslim Uighur and Kazakh ethnic minorities, detaining thousands in internment camps, where many are forced to perform menial labor.
Badger Sportswear recently released a statement on its website to clarify its global sourcing policy. Click here to read the statement. — D.S.
