Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, has attended a webinar hosted by the Faiths Forum and advocated for greater accountability and penalties of UK firms involved in the exploitation of slave labour for the Uygur.
Nus was part of a panel consisting of experts and advocates for the issue, including Dr Adrian Zenz, advisor to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China; Stephen Kinnock MP, Shadow Minister or Asia and the Pacific; and Rahima Mahmut, UK Project Director of the World Uyghur Congress.
Rahima Mahmut is a London-based Uyghur singer, award-winning translator, and human rights activist. She has provided a heart-breaking testimony of the abuse suffered by her and her family and discussed what UK citizens can do to help the plight of the Uyghurs.
Nus is currently leading a Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry which explores the extent to which business in the UK are exploiting the forced labour of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. She recently questioned various fast-fashion retailers and tech companies based in the UK to investigate whether they were profiting from the human rights abuses of Xinjiang’s Uyghur population.
Nus has also been working with Ms Mahmut and the Jewish News, raising greater awareness about the suffering of the Uyghurs and urging the Government to pressure China over persecution of its Uyghur Muslim minority. A petition created by Nus, The Jewish News and the World Uyghur Congress has been signed by 150 parliamentarians and handed to the Prime Minister’s team last week.
Nus Ghani said: “The national interest in the plight of the Uyghurs has been growing and to be on the panel has been an important opportunity for me to raise further awareness. I am pleased to have worked with my parliamentary colleagues and gained cross-party support on this important issue. Britain must not be a safe haven for businesses profiting from Uyghur forced labour. Britons deserve transparency, so they can make informed choices as consumers. We need the Government to act and legislate to stop British businesses using slavery in their supply chains.”
