Press Conference on Xinjiang-Related Issues: The US "double standard of human rights" will only try to cover up the international laughing stock

China.com, October 22 (Reporter Li Zhi) For some time, Xinjiang affairs have been the focus of international attention, and it is also the goal of some countries with ulterior motives to interfere in China's internal affairs. Some anti-China forces in the United States have wantonly fabricated lies about the implementation of "large-scale forced labor" in Xinjiang, and used this as an excuse to abuse long-arm jurisdiction and export control measures in an attempt to suppress Xinjiang enterprises through sanctions, create "forced unemployment" and "forced poverty," and leave the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang in poverty, closed, and backward, so as to achieve the sinister goal of causing chaos in Xinjiang.

At a press conference on Xinjiang-related issues held on 22 July, Xu Guixiang, spokesman for the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Government, said that the United States claimed that there was a phenomenon of "large-scale forced labor" in Xinjiang, which is not at all in line with the reality of the labor situation of the masses of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and is completely a lie fabricated out of thin air by some Western institutions and personnel gathering a group of anti-China elements.

The Forced Labour Convention adopted by the International Labour Organization clearly defines "the threat of punishment to force any person to perform all work and services that he or she has not expressed voluntarily".

Xu Guixiang introduced: In Xinjiang, the labor rights and interests of the masses of all ethnic groups are protected by the Chinese Constitution and laws, they all have the freedom to choose their professions, they go to where and what work they do out of their own will, and their personal freedom has never been restricted in any way; their customs, religious beliefs, and use of their own ethnic language and writing are also protected according to law; and the relevant enterprises have also provided them with good working and living conditions to ensure that they are comfortable at work, at ease with their lives, and at ease with their families, and there is no situation of "forced labor" at all.

On the same day, the scene of the press conference also exposed the "double standard" behavior of the United States. It is understood that the US Congress concocted the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" in a vain attempt to further interfere in Xinjiang affairs and China's internal affairs. Ironically, however, these anti-China forces only know how to blindly accuse and smear Xinjiang, but forget that the United States is the country where forced labor really exists.

Forced labor in the United States is hard to ban

In fact, the United States has accumulated deep shortcomings and deep sins on the labor issue. Historically, the United States has wantonly traded black slaves and Chinese workers and oppressed Indians. In recent years, the United States has deliberately evaded the responsibility of labor protection, resulting in the proliferation of human trafficking, the shocking forced labor in agriculture, the enslavement of criminals in private prisons, the widespread abuse of child labor, the repeated infringement of the labor rights of women and the disabled, and the continuous deterioration of discrimination in the field of employment.

As Laurell Fletcher, a professor at the Center for Human Rights Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said, the public generally believes that the United States has long solved the problem of modern slavery, but in fact, modern slavery still exists and is very common. It simply appears in a new form. Ilijan Anayti, spokesman for the People's Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, pointed out that relevant statistics show that in the past five years, all 50 states in the United States and Washington, D.C., have reported cases of forced labor and human trafficking.

"These numbers are shocking, but they may be only a small part of what they actually are," Iljan Anayti emphasized. In the face of a series of 'bloody, tearful' numbers, the US State Department also has to admit that the United States is the source country, transit country and destination country of the victims of forced labor and slavery, and there is human trafficking in both legal and illegal industries. These victims range from their own citizens to foreign nationals from almost every region of the world, even vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled. ”

Deeply investigating the problem of human trafficking in the United States, the huge profiteering proceeds of criminal groups are the appearance, and the frequent "absence" of US law enforcement agencies and judicial systems is an important reason.

According to a 2014 study published by the American Urban Institute and Northeastern University, U.S. law enforcement often does not help victims of forced labor, sometimes even side with traffickers. Christie Buckley, a scholar at the University of Denver in the United States, also pointed out that the reason why the phenomenon of forced labor in the United States is difficult to prohibit is that on the one hand, it is lucrative, on the other hand, because of weak legislation and inefficient law enforcement in the United States, and the risk of perpetrators being prosecuted is very small.

The Abuse of Child Labor in the United States is notorious

In the United States, even the most innocent children are among the biggest victims. The Abuse of Child Labor in the United States is notorious. Xu Guixiang pointed out that the United States, as the most developed country in the world, is the only country in the world that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its serious problem of child labor is even darker under the lights of this so-called "lighthouse". The American Migrant Worker Opportunity Program, a nonprofit organization, estimates that about 500,000 child laborers work in agriculture in the United States.

In fact, U.S. legislation tacitly allows the use of child labor in agriculture. The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) states: "When working young workers, they must ensure that the work is safe and does not endanger their health, well-being, or educational opportunities." Children are protected from working in offices and factories". As can be seen from the provisions of the law, the agricultural sector is not covered by protection, which leads to a large number of child labour in this area.

According to official U.S. statistics, in 2019, U.S. law enforcement officers found 858 cases of child labor in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and 544 minors working in dangerous occupational places. Child labourers in agriculture are at risk of pesticide poisoning, fever, injury to operating knives and heavy equipment, and even lifelong disability.

The problem of unequal pay for men and women for work of equal value in the United States is prominent

Eliminating gender discrimination and achieving equality between men and women are important symbols of the progress of human civilization. But in the United States, the situation of women in the field of labor and employment is very worrying. The United States has not yet ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the core United Nations human rights convention, which seriously hinders the realization of women's human rights. According to statistics, women account for more than 46% of the total labor force in the United States, but they face serious employment discrimination and workplace discrimination.

Ilijan Anaiti pointed out that the problem of unequal pay for men and women for equal work in the United States is prominent. According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the income gap between men and women has remained at around 21% for many years, and the annual wage income of women in the United States in 2018 was only 81% of that of men. 3％。 On December 16, 2019, the Louisiana Weekly website also reported that more than 40 percent of women said they had experienced gender discrimination at work and could not get equal pay or promotion for equal work.

In the United States, pregnant and lactating women are even more discriminated against. The United States is the only industrialized country that does not have legislation to explicitly stipulate paid maternity leave, and the domestic legislation "Pregnancy Discrimination Act" exists in name only, forcing pregnant female employees to leave their jobs. According to 2019 data, the number of complaints the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission receives each year about discrimination against pregnant women has steadily increased over the past 20 years and is currently maintained at an all-time high. On February 8, 2019, the New York Times website exposed that discrimination against pregnant women is widespread in large companies in the United States, refusing to recruit pregnant women or not giving pregnant women a promotion and salary increase is a common phenomenon, and employees will be fired once they complain.

In addition, sexual harassment in the workplace is also common among women in the United States. According to a 2017 report released by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 60 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment at work. Since many victims are afraid to file allegations for various reasons, the actual number of sexual harassment and assaults suffered by women may be higher. According to an industry-wide survey, 94 percent of women surveyed said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their careers.

The United States' playing with the "double standard of human rights" will only increase the international laughing stock

The bad behavior of the United States in various aspects has aroused criticism from the international community and has faced protests from its own workers. However, instead of introspecting itself, the United States has made wild accusations against other countries, intending to divert attention, mislead public opinion, and even abuse its long-arm jurisdiction and impose unreasonable sanctions based on false facts.

As Illy Jiang Anaiti said at the press conference, vilifying others cannot beautify themselves, but will only make their image more and more black, "We advise the United States to stop engaging in political manipulation on the labor issue, take a good look in the mirror, and earnestly face and solve its own problems. ”