Target: Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of UK Labour Party
Goal: Do not support listing of company reportedly profiting from forced labor on London Stock Exchange.
A United Kingdom (UK) Court of Appeal recently took a significant step in holding companies that profit from human rights abuses to account. The court ruled that a UK crime agency did not exercise due diligence in investigating cotton imported from the Uyghur Region. China has long been accused of forcing minorities in this region into slavery. Since material deriving from the Uyghur Region can now be considered criminal property, manufacturers that profit from these materials in their supply chains could face prosecution.
Now comes another important facet of this story: the potential introduction of Chinese online fashion retailer Shein into the UK’s stock market. Cotton from the Uyghur Region is suspected of being used in many of Shein’s products. When the company made a similar move to get onto the U.S. stock exchange, lawmakers vetoed the proposal. Thus far, however, UK leaders are supporting the maneuver.
Sign the petition below to urge these lawmakers to rethink their implicit support of forced labor.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Sir Starmer,
The potential inclusion of Shein on the London Stock Exchange has been called a “badge of shame” by critics. This party’s seeming support of the proposition would likewise send a horrific message, especially in light of the Court of Appeal’s recent ruling regarding products coming from China’s Uyghur Region. If UK manufacturers could face prosecution by allowing these materials reportedly derived from forced labor into supply chains, then what kind of message would it send for UK leaders to allow a suspected beneficiary of said slavery to prosper on its stock exchange?
Please follow the lead of other nations and unequivocally condemn this horrendous practice and its profiteers.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Raysonho
119 Signatures