Christmas is finally over. That means toys are strewn across the floor in front of a tree, wrapping paper crowds landfills across cities, and holiday decorations are waiting to be stored away for next year.
You’re probably so relieved that you aren’t even thinking about where all these toys and decorations come from.
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A recent article in The Oregonian might give us some insight. Along with debunking the idea that Santa makes all these magical things, the newspaper also sheds light on where these holiday specialties are made: by Chinese prisoners.
According to the article, Julie Keith, a charity worker in Oregon, found a handwritten plea for help in a package of Halloween decorations she had purchased from Kmart last year. The letter, written in Mandarin and English, was supposedly written by a prisoner in Unit Eight, Department Two, at the Masanjia Labor Camp, a notorious gulag in China’s frigid Liaoning province, which borders North Korea.
The note is translated below:
“Sir,” the letter began. “If you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persicution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever.”
The writer, who is unnamed, goes on to say: “People who work here have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays. Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. Nearly no payment (10 yuan/1 month),”—an amount equivalent to $1.60.
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While the authenticity of the letter has not been confirmed, a concerned Keith posted the letter on Facebook. The Oregonian contacted KMart and Sears, who promised to investigate. In addition, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is looking into the case as American law prohibits the importation of products made from forced labor.
WOW! We should all be more careful about what we buy and where and HOW it’s made.
SOURCE: The Daily Beast
