Focus STFA International Politics Switzerland

YES to the corporate responsibility initiative!

China is taking massive action against the rights of the Tibetan, Uighur and other ethnic minorities in the Chinese-occupied areas and in China. The long arm of China extends into Switzerland and Swiss companies that operate there have to take responsibility for human rights in their production facilities.

The corporate responsibility initiative is not an initiative against multinational companies. Many companies operate responsibly - the initiative does not bring them any disadvantages.

But it changes the situation for those companies headquartered in Switzerland that violate human rights or environmental standards in other countries or accept this. Foreign victims can now sue for damages in a civil court in Switzerland. In addition, companies would be obliged to carry out an appropriate due diligence process, which affects both subsidiaries and suppliers.

SMEs are excluded from the initiative.

We know a lot about forced camps in East Turkestan, but we cannot rule out that Tibetans are also affected by forced labor. In the recent past there have also been increasing reports of re-education camps for Tibetans.

Because according to the China Files 68 European corporations are currently active in Xinjiang - including Swiss companies. People are forced to work in forced camps under strict surveillance for suppliers to international companies. These factories belong to the supply chains of at least 83 well-known international and Chinese brands such as Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, Nokia, Adidas, H&M, Lacoste and Volkswagen.

In addition, most of the protective masks in Switzerland come from China. Whether they come from forced labor cannot be ruled out - research by the New York Times showed that numerous Chinese mask manufacturers rely on forced labor. And a coalition of more than 180 NGOs pointed out in an appeal to the global clothing industry that it is very likely that every fifth cotton product is linked to forced labor and human rights violations in East Turkestan. Because China is the largest cotton producer in the world, 84 percent of which come from East Turkestan. Brands such as H&M, C&A or Calvin Klein should source cotton from the region for their products. (Source: STP, #NoComplicity)

The GSTF supports the initiative and recommends voting YES on November 29th.

www.verbund-initiative.ch

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