What is State-Sponsored Forced Labor and Human Trafficking
State-imposed forced labor represents a chilling reality when the government itself orchestrates and enforces forced labor and human trafficking. Unlike the more commonly known exploitation by private companies, or rogue individuals, this form of human trafficking operates as a top-down mandate, given within a coercive structure that is integrated into the whole of society. Essentially, the government is the trafficker, abuser, and perpetrator. The government also controls any official investigations, the police, the judicial system, and the media sphere.
State-sponsored forced labor is driven by political motivations. Governments use forced labor as a form of social control to suppress dissent, indoctrinate targeted groups, and achieve industrial or geopolitical goals while portraying these abuses as development initiatives.
In East Turkistan, my homeland, now known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region of China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operates the world’s largest system of state-imposed forced labor, with up to 2.5 million Uyghur and other Turkic communities members involved in modern slavery and human trafficking.[1] Everything begins with a knock on the door, as government officials arrive to “offer” job opportunities that cannot be declined. Those who refuse are forcibly disappeared, a fate shared by millions of Uyghurs during the ongoing Uyghur genocide.[2]
The Uyghur Plight
The situation facing the Uyghur people, a Muslim Turkic ethnic group from what is now northwest China, historically known as East Turkistan, has been widely recognized by international bodies and human rights organizations as an effort to erase their cultural and physical presence. In January 2021, the U.S. Department of State declared China’s actions a genocide[3], with a dozen countries following suit through various motions. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) report on Uyghurs, documented acts of torture, mass arbitrary detention, forced sterilization, family separations, and suppression of birth rates in the region, concluding that these actions “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”[4]
Living in the Uyghur region today means constant fear—fear of being detained, fear of being separated from your family, fear of being silenced forever because of your religion and ethnic identity, and fear of being trafficked into labor under inhumane conditions that strip away dignity and freedom.
The Price of Unveiling the Truth
Standing up to a global superpower and exposing the truth about forced labor comes at an immense personal cost—a reality I have experienced firsthand. My sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, has been suffering in the CCP’s prisons for over six years.[5]
In September 2018, I participated in a panel organized by the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C., where I raised awareness about mass arrests—including the disappearance of 24 members of my husband’s family—ongoing genocidal policies, and the atrocities committed against the Uyghurs. A few days later, my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, went missing. It wasn’t until December 2020 that we received indirect confirmation through a third party that she had been unjustly sentenced to 20 years on fabricated charges.
But my family’s plight is only one of millions.
Cultural Erasure and Supply Chain Infiltration
Uyghur forced labor is deeply embedded in global supply chains, tainting everything from the cars we drive to the pharmaceuticals we rely on. Approximately 20% of the world’s cotton originates from the Uyghur region, infiltrating textiles and clothing sold worldwide. Over 35% of the global supply of polysilicon, a critical component in solar panels, is sourced from this region. Tomatoes grown in my homeland are processed into pastes and exported globally, appearing in products used by major food brands. My sister could have been forced to make the shoes you wear, the car you drive, or the ketchup you enjoy.
While Uyghurs are trafficked like commodities across China, Han Chinese migrants are encouraged to settle in the region, further eroding the cultural and demographic makeup. By integrating forced labor into industries that supply global markets, the state not only profits from exploitation but also systematically dismantles the social, cultural, and religious identities of these groups.
In a significant step toward addressing state-imposed forced labor and human trafficking, particularly the extreme conditions in the Uyghur region, the International Labour Organization (ILO) updated its forced labor handbook, Harder to See, Harder to Count. This update highlights the criteria for state imposed forced labor and the critical need to recognize and address this harmful practice. The handbook emphasizes that often the system of forced labor is so pervasive in the regions where it is implemented, that any company operating in the identified region is inevitably complicit.[6]
The Two Pipelines of State-Imposed Forced Labor
The CCP enforces two interconnected systems of forced labor in the Uyghur region, both designed to exploit and dehumanize. The first exploits detainees in concentration camps—facilities rife with abuse, torture, forced sterilization, and psychological indoctrination—where up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic groups have been imprisoned.[7] The second system extends beyond the camps, targeting rural communities through coercive labor transfer programs that are, in reality, human trafficking disguised as “Poverty Alleviation Through Labor Transfer.” Internal government documents reveal that individuals are labeled as lazy, drunkards, or lacking “inner motivation,” and are subjected to repeated “thought education” designed to break their resistance and compel participation[8].
Uyghur farmers and landowners face additional coercion, stripped of their farming rights and livelihoods to make way for large commercial operators. Between 2001 and 2021 land-use transfer shares in my homeland increased nearly fiftyfold,[9] feeding Uyghurs into the forced labor pipeline at an unprecedented scale. By the third quarter of 2023, Chinese state media boasted about 3.05 million person-times labor transfers, revealing the systemic and industrialized nature of this exploitation.[10]
The impossibility of conducting reliable independent audits in the Uyghur region compounds the problem. Coercion begins at recruitment, making traditional detection methods like on-site inspections wholly ineffective. The Chinese government actively undermines international audit firms’ independence, while mass surveillance, mass internment, and fear of retaliation silence any potential witnesses. A glaring example is the recent audit of Volkswagen’s factory in Urumchi, a scandalous demonstration of how sham audits are weaponized to whitewash corporate complicity in modern-day slavery.
Legislative Responses
In 2021, the United States took a bold stand against modern slavery with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), a groundbreaking law that presumes all goods from the Uyghur region are tainted by forced labor unless companies can provide clear, credible proof otherwise. This powerful tool has already yielded results, blocking thousands of shipments worth billions of dollars linked to forced labor from entering U.S. markets.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Forced and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act attempt to tackle the same issue but fall short in addressing the unique challenges of state-imposed forced labor. Without a rebuttable presumption like the UFLPA, these laws lack the teeth needed to combat the systematic exploitation orchestrated by governments like China’s.
The Loopholes
While the UFLPA has proven effective in intercepting large shipments tied to forced labor, the de minimis exemption creates a significant gap in enforcement. This rule allows importers to bypass customs duties on packages valued under $800, providing a backdoor for products tainted by forced labor to enter U.S. markets undetected. Fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu exploit this loophole, flooding the market with direct-to-consumer shipments from China, often linked to the forced labor of Uyghurs. By undermining the UFLPA, this exemption enables companies to profit from exploitation while evading accountability.
In addition, some companies are bi-furcating their supply chains, creating separate systems of manufacturing for the United States specifically, while maintaining Uyghur forced labor for markets in different countries. This loophole allows these companies to knowingly export forced-labor-tainted goods to countries lacking regulations to protect their markets from being complicit in this exploitation.
Recommendations for Global Action
To effectively combat forced labor and human rights abuses, particularly state-sponsored forced labor targeting the Uyghur people, the global community must unite in decisive, strategic action. The first step is to close legal loopholes and implement robust legislation internationally that is modeled on the UFLPA, ensuring that products tainted by forced labor, especially from the Uyghur region, are eradicated from global supply chains. No country should be a dumping ground for goods made with forced labor. Governments must enforce rigorous due diligence requirements, holding corporations accountable for their supply chain practices and imposing significant penalties for complicity in these atrocities.
At the same time, public awareness campaigns are essential to educate consumers about the plight of the Uyghurs and the hidden human cost of the goods they purchase. Empowering individuals to demand transparency and support ethical brands creates market pressure that can drive change. By taking these steps we can challenge state-sponsored forced labor, address the suffering of the Uyghur people, and ensure human rights are upheld in the global economy. Discover which brands may be using Uyghur forced labor today by visiting this page on the Campaign for Uyghurs website. Reach out to your favorite brands if they are complicit, and ask that they conduct due diligence on their supply chains and divest from forced labor.
The fight against state-sponsored forced labor and human trafficking, particularly the atrocities targeting the Uyghur people, demands global action and unity. The Uyghur people or the United States cannot do this alone. Despite the personal cost, we are taking a stand for human rights, raising our voices against these crimes, and strengthening international standards for addressing forced labor and exploitation. Now, we ask you to join us. Together, we can dismantle the systems of exploitation, restore dignity and freedom, and ensure human rights prevail in the global economy. The time to act is now, and the responsibility belongs to all of us.
[1]Adrian Zenz, “Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production”
[2] Adrian Zenz, “The conceptual evolution of poverty alleviation through labour transfer in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”
[3]https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-declares-chinas-treatment-of-uighur-muslims-to-be-genocide-11611081555
[4]https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ohchr-assessment-human-rights-concerns-xinjiang-uyghur-autonomous-region
[5] Gulshan Abbas | Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission [Internet]. Available from: https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/DFP/Countries/China/Gulshan-Abbas
[6] https://www.ilo.org/publications/hard-see-harder-count-handbook-forced-labour-surveys
[7] Adrian Zenz, ‘Thoroughly reforming them towards a healthy heart attitude’: China’s political re-education campaign in Xinjiang.
[8] Adrian Zenz, “Coercive Labor in the Cotton Harvest in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Uzbekistan A Comparative Analysis of State-Sponsored Forced Labor”
[9] Ibid,1
[10] Adrian Zenz, “Forced Labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region: Assessing the Continuation of Coercive Labor Transfers in 2023 and Early 2024”
