This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
On July 1, 2020, US customs officials seized a shipment of human hair products worth $800,000, believed to be made by Muslims in labour camps in China's western Xinjiang region.
The 13-tonne shipment was from Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co., a company that has been accused of using prison and forced labor, including from children.
"The production of these goods constitutes a very serious human rights violation," said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner for trade at CBP.
US Customs and Border Protection ordered the detention of the company's goods on June 17, citing concerns over forced labor.
This is the third Xinjiang exporter of human hair to be blacklisted in recent months for using forced labor.
The US government has warned businesses to beware of importing goods through supply chains that involve forced or prison labor in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China.
They have also warned companies against supplying surveillance tools to be used by authorities in Xinjiang, or aiding in the construction of facilities used in the mass detention of Muslims and minorities in the province.
