Human Rights Group Reports Labor Law Violations in Microsoft Factory in China

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SHANGHAI, China – Two Chinese factories have been found to have violated local labor laws, such as working employees for too many consecutive hours and failing to register more than 300 workers between the ages of 16 and 18.  The factories supply goods to Microsoft and other global companies.

In response to these reports, Microsoft Corporation said it is investigating allegations of worker abuse at a factory, which primarily produces computer mice, cameras as well as many other devices for the technology giant. KYE Systems Corporation is also reacting to the situation for products the factories make for it.

The ordeal is a response to effort by the National Labor Committee, a human rights group, a New York-based nonprofit that monitors the treatment and local practices of foreign workers by U.S. companies.  According to Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee, “The factory was really run like a minimum security prison.” The report issued by the National Labor Committee states that KYE recruits employees, many of whom are 16 and 17 years old, to work 15-hour shifts six to seven days a week, paying them 65 cents an hour, which then is reduced to 52 cents an hour, after deductions for food.

The National Labor Committee went on to discuss conditions and treatment in its report. According to the group’s findings, workers are housed in cramped quarters in factory dormitories and prohibited from talking, listening to music or using the bathroom during work hours. Employees were also forced to work an excessive amount of overtime in March, clocking about 280 hours, the report said. The report also indicated that copies their employment contracts were not given to the employees. However, in response to these statements, company officials said that based on interviews with workers, there were no restrictions against using the restroom during shifts, and that it is the company’s policy to give workers 10-minute breaks for every two hours worked.

In a press interview, KYE Systems Corporation spokesman, Lai Jin-hui, insisted that factories did nothing wrong regarding overtime and had followed regulations that limit the workweek to 60 hours. But Lai acknowledged that the factories failed to properly register workers and would now fix the problem.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo! Finance – China factories break labor rules – 19 April 2010

 The New York Times – Chinese Suppliers to Microsoft Cited for Labor Violations – 19 April 2010

The Wall Street Journal – Microsoft to Probe Conditions in China – 19 April 2010

Human Rights Conference Attempts To Address Issues Facing European Roma Community

By David Sophrin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

CORDOBA, Spain – Representatives from EU countries met in Spain last week with leaders from the European Roma community for a two-day conference to discuss how those countries could best respond to the discrimination and economic poverty that the nomadic Roma population face.

The nomadic Roma community has existed in Europe since the fourteenth century, notably in central and eastern European countries.  Discrimination and violence towards Roma, the continent’s largest minority group, has long been a commonplace occurrence on the continent.  For example, in a number of central European countries Roma children have been prevented from attending state-funded schools.  Legalized discrimination in housing and hiring practices towards them have also been commonplace.  Additionally, since 2008 there have been 45 attacks on Roma in Hungary.  Many more have been the victims of race-based attacks in Italy, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.

While discrimination towards Roma is often not overt, statements by some European leaders continue to mirror long held racist views towards Roma.  This past February, Romanian Foreign Minister suggested that Roma carried a certain genetic trait that made them more prone to criminal behavior.

The economic recession of recent years has also negatively impacted the Roma culture.  Due to the lack of employment opportunities, especially in Western Europe, many Roma have no longer been able move across the continent.  These difficulties only compound issues of poverty, as the Roma are currently the poorest minority in Europe.

European Justice Commissioner Vivian Reding, who was in attendance at the summit, stated that the rampant discrimination towards Roma in Europe must come to an end.  Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Fundacion Secretariado Giatno human rights group declared that “the situation faced by numerous European gypsy citizens is scandalous.  They are victims of a high degree of discrimination and racism.”

For more information, please see:

AP – Europe’s Roma say woes deepen amid economic crisis – 9 April, 2010

DEUTSCHE WELLE – Europe must do more to improve lives of Roma, EU warns – 8 April, 2010

GUARDIAN – Europe must help the Roma – 8 April, 2010

EXPATICA – Roma to demand EU action against discrimination at summit – 7 April, 2010

Protests against Montreal Ban on Niqab

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MONTREAL, Canada – One hundred and twenty protestors gathered outside of Montreal City Hall on Saturday, April 17 to protest proposed legislation called Bill 94. The proposed legislation would band Niqabs and Burkas, Islamic garments which cover a womans face, from those seeking public service.

A woman demonstrating against bill 94 at Saturdays protest outside Montreal City Hall (PHOTO: CTV)

The proposed legislation would ban anyone from wearing a face covering while receiving public services.  The bill would predominantly affect Muslim woman who wear face coverings as part of their religious practices.

The bill was proposed last month after a woman was expelled for wearing a Niqab during French class. The school said it was disruptive to the classroom process. The incident has sparked debate in Montreal.

Under the new rule anyone wearing a face covering would not be able to receive public services including Government departments and corporations, non-emergency hospital services, universities, and day cares receiving public funds. The rule does not only apply to those receiving the government services, but also to those employed in government service.

Jean Charest , liberal premier said “If you are someone employed by the state and you deliver a service, you will deliver it with your face uncovered. If you are a citizen who receives services, you will receive them with your face uncovered.” He has defended the proposed legislation saying that it draws the line at accommodating religious minorities when it infringes on gender equality.

The protestors however, feel that the bill demonstrates a lack of tolerance and understanding. Meena Samreen, the Montreal woman who organized the protest called the bill hypocritical. “We send our troops to protect those women, to open educational institutes for them, and here we’re stopping women from going into educational institutes because they choose to cover their faces,” she said.

For more information, please see:

CTV – Protestors Denounce Bill 94 – 17 April 2010

Montreal Gazette – Crowed Protests Quebec Niqab Ban – 17 April 2010

National Post – Unveil, Quebec Says – 25 March 2010

Brazilian Dam Moves Forward, 20,000 to be Displaced

By Sovereign Hager
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

PARA, Brazil-On April 16, 2010 a judge in the capital, Brasília overturned a ruling halting construction on a dam project to be built in Para State  because it would cause “irreparable harm” to indigenous people. The project, known as the Belo Monte Dam, will involve the excavation of two channels larger than the Panama Canal to divert water from the main dam to the power plant. The reservoir will flood more than one hundred and sixty square miles of forest while drying up a sixty mile stretch of the Xingu River, which will displace more than 20,000 people, many of which are indigenous communities.

Thirteen affected indigenous groups have formed a new tribe of 2,500, which they have stationed directly on the construction site. They plan to occupy it as long as necessary. The chief told the New York Times that they need the river to travel and eat. The groups affected include the Kayapó, Arara, Juruna, Araweté, Xikrin, Asurini, and Parakanã groups. Over eight hundred and fifty people protested what will be the largest dam in the world. Human rights organizations have warned that the dam construction will also bring migrants to the area and threaten uncontacted indigenous people, who have little resistance to outside disease. According to Survival International, many believe that the dam energy will be used to serve the mining industry. A bill is currently before the Brazilian government that would allow mining on indigenous land.

The new ruling allows the auction of bids to take place on April 20, 2010. The Chief of the Arara tribe, José Carolos Arara called the last case “our last cry for help” in a quest to defend their rights after a meeting of thirteen tribes last month, the New York Times reported. Environmentalists have stated that the dams are in fact inefficient and produce less than capacity annually, thus causing fear that the government would still have to build more dams upstream. This would further displace indigenous communities.

The latest ruling found that there was “no imminent danger for the indigenous community” because the auction of bids did not “imply immediate destruction.” The auction, one of numerous stages in the dam project was therefore allowed to go forward as planned. The Brazilian government is trying to meet the growing energy needs of urban areas, constantly requiring new energy projects. The Brazilian government has warned that halting the auction would cause “grave harm” to the economy and could potentially cause Brazil to seek other forms of energy that are more expensive and polluting than the hydroelectric project.

The plans for the dam were developed over thirty years ago before Brazil had constitutional protections for for indigenous peoples. The judge in the recent ruling stated that the Congress would have to pass a law changing the Constitution’s limits on building dams that negatively affect indigenous communities. An appeal to the recent ruling has been filed by Attorney General’s office. Indigenous activists have promised a “river of blood” if the dam project moves forward.

For more information, please see:

Latin American Herald Tribune-Judge’s Ruling Gives Green Light for Massive Brazil Dam-18 April 2010

BBC-Judge Allows Start of Bids on Controversial Dam Project-17 April 2010

Latin America Press-Amazon State Attorney Seeks to Stop Hydroelectric Project-17 April 2010

New York Times-Amazon Dam Project Pits Economic Development Benefit Against Development of Indigenous Lands-16 April 2010

Survival International-Indians and Activists March Against Amazon Mega-Dam-14 April 2010

Increasing Number of North Koreans Listen to Overseas Radio Programs

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SEOUL, South Korea – North Koreans appear to be better informed than ever despite living in the most reclusive country in the world.  Although there is no data on the exact number of North Koreans listening to overseas radio broadcasts, evidence has shown that the number is quite high.

Voice of America (VOA) has been broadcasting to North Korea since 1942 and Radio Free Asia (RFA) began its services in 1997.  More than a dozen radio stations from overseas, including the United States, South Korea and Japan, currently broadcast to North Korea.  In addition, North Korean defectors have founded three radio stations, including the Free North Korea Radio. 

Although smuggling news out of North Korea is risky, these news media employ stringers and underground informants in North Korea who have access to cell phones or those who can send interviews through China.  Almost 1,000 North Koreans use cell phones connected to Chinese networks and send stories about the food shortage and famine to Kim Jong-il’s health via text messages, photos and audio files. 

Consequently, there is information flowing in and out of the hermit kingdom. 

Based on the data South Korean researchers have collected, over 20% of North Koreans regularly listen to banned broadcasts.  North Koreans will either jam their government radios or buy smuggled radios from China.  The research also showed that nearly all of the listeners then shared the news they heard on the radio with family and friends.  Defectors have said that one of the leading motivations to defect came from listening to foreign radio broadcasts.

Furthermore, U.S.’s human rights envoy for North Korea, Robert King, has promised to increase funding for North Korean broadcasting.  Currently, VOA and RFA broadcast only five hours a day, and the stations operated by defectors run on a tight budget.

These may be signs of future demise of North Korea’s monopoly over information and media control.  However, control of information flow may be even more tightly controlled as the current North Korean government prepares for a regime change from Kim Jong-il to his son.
For more information, please see:

Business Week – North Korea Open Radio Prompts Wonder About Riches Over Border – 31 March 2010

NYT – Nimble Agencies Sneak News Out of North Korea – 24 January 2010

Press Reference – North Korea

WSJ – North Korea’s Radio Waves of Resistance – 16 April 2010