A group of United Nations human rights experts on January 21, 2022, expressed deep concern about allegations of forced labor against a group of about 400 Vietnamese workers who were “trafficked” to Serbia to work for a Chinese company.
Press release issued from Geneva, citing information received by the expert group. Accordingly, eight companies, including Vietnamese labor recruitment agencies and Chinese construction companies registered in Serbia, are accused of being involved in serious human rights violations against Vietnamese workers.
Independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council were quoted as saying: “We are deeply concerned that these workers may be trafficked for the purpose of forced labor. They have to live and work in appalling conditions in Serbia with serious risk to their lives and health.”
The UN group of experts also expressed concern over allegations that civil society organizations are not allowed to access where workers are staying to provide support.
Facing that situation of Vietnamese workers, UN experts urge the government of Serbia, the Government of Vietnam, and China to ensure that all of the above-related businesses and companies respect all human rights of the workers.
The UN experts also wrote to the eight accused companies asking them to fulfill the responsibilities set forth in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
In October and November last year, a number of human rights organizations in Serbia reported that about 500 Vietnamese workers who worked for the Chinese company Shandong Linglong Tire in the project to build a tire factory in Zrejanin, Voivodine province in northern Serbia, were exploited and even treated like slaves.
On November 19, 2021, the President of the host country himself announced that he had sent a labor inspector to investigate the situation.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
