Peters Announces Bipartisan Legislation to Help Combat Human Rights Abuses

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, announced bipartisan legislation to help combat human rights abuses. The Combating Human Rights Abuses Act, which he introduced with Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), would direct the Commerce Department to help educate U.S. exporters that are, or are considering, exporting goods to foreign jurisdictions where significant human rights abuses have occurred, including the People’s Republic of China.

The bill would also direct the Commerce Department to offer guidance to U.S. exporters to help them avoid doing business with foreign entities that may be implicated in forced labor or human rights violations – a problem that has received renewed focus as new human rights abuses come to light amid Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The bipartisan legislation has earned the support of the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the AFL-CIO.

“Human rights abuses – like those we have seen committed in China, Russia and elsewhere – are entirely unacceptable and must be condemned,” said Senator Peters. “It’s essential we empower our business community with the resources they need to avoid dealings with foreign entities that may be involved in such atrocities. That’s why I’m pleased to introduce this bipartisan legislation to provide businesses with the information and transparency they need to justly export goods.”

“Business owners I talk to want to make sure that the products they import aren’t made with slave labor in China, yet sometimes, it’s difficult to be certain whether or not something was made with slave labor,” said Senator Lummis. “This legislation instructs the Department of Commerce to make sure there are resources available to small businesses to be sure of their supply chain. I am grateful to Senator Peters for partnering with me on this important legislation.”

"Ignorance of the human rights issues connected to the global business community is no longer acceptable at the corporate level,” said Omer Kanat, Executive Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. “Uyghurs understand the disastrous implications of global businesses ignoring state-sponsored forced labor in the Uyghur region of China, so we're glad to see continued pressure from Congress to push back on these abuses."

The government of the People’s Republic of China has perpetrated egregious human rights abuses—including in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region—against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups. The Chinese government’s actions have encompassed mass detention in internment camps, the use of forced labor, and other atrocities. This has led the U.S. State Department to determine that the People’s Republic of China, “under the direction and control” of the Chinese Communist Party, “has committed genocide against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”

The Commerce Department provides valuable assistance to help U.S. businesses and exporters increase sales and tap into new markets, such as through export counseling provided by the U.S. Commercial Service. This bipartisan bill would build on existing human rights training for Department staff by ensuring its workforce is specifically informed about emerging trends and issues with respect to human rights abuses occurring around the world, such as the situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

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