Samsung, in a statement released this evening on its official Samsung Tomorrow site, said that it has "temporarily suspend[ed] business" after finding evidence of child laborers at once of its Chinese suppliers. The revelation comes on the heels of an investigation from China Labor Watch that reported 15 instances of labor violations, including the use of child laborers. Samsung, in a response to the The Next Web, initially had said that it had found no instances of child labor in its audits, but that it was investigating the claims.
In this most recent statement, Samsung said its June 25 audit uncovered no instances of child labor. But a separate, independent audit spurred by the CLW report "found evidences of illegal hiring" on June 29.
Here's Samsung's statement in its entirety:
Samsung Electronics conducted an investigation into Dongguan Shinyang Electronics Co. Ltd., one of its suppliers, immediately after China Labor Watch accused on July 10 the China-based supplier of hiring children.
Following the investigation, Samsung decided to temporarily suspend business with the factory in question as it found evidences of suspected child labor at the worksite. The decision was made in accordance with Samsung's zero tolerance policy on child labor.
It is unfortunate that the allegation surfaced despite Samsung's efforts to prevent child labor at its suppliers. As part of its pledge against child labor, Samsung routinely conducts inspections to monitor its suppliers in China to ensure they follow the commitment, and has provided necessary support.
For Dongguan Shinyang Electronics, Samsung has conducted audits on three occasions since 2013, with the latest one ending on June 25, 2014. No cases of child labor were found during these audits.
In the separate investigation following the CLW allegations, however, Samsung found evidences of illegal hiring process that took place on June 29. The Chinese authorities are also looking into the case.
If the investigations conclude that the supplier indeed hired children illegally, Samsung will permanently halt business with the supplier in accordance with its zero tolerance policy on child labor.
Furthermore, Samsung will strengthen its hiring process not only at its production facilities but also at its suppliers to prevent such case from reoccurring.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Reader comments
Samsung suspends Chinese supplier after finding evidence of child labor
But if we take a look at http://www.legisocial.fr/, it is against the law to make children s work who is below the age which is specified in labor law.
Can'twait for the note 4....so excited!
I came for the drama in the comments, and I want disappointed.
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I came for the drama in the comments, and I wasn't disappointed.
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YPlan Unleash in Five Cities UK, SF, NY, LV, And Edinburgh http://www.mobhome.in/2014/07/yplan-unleash-in-five-cities-uk-sf-ny.html
Communism /socialism at its best
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Respect
AC App via Nexus 5
If you respect them for this then you're just another sheep towing the company line. They had NO choice and to believe otherwise is penny wise and pound foolish. (i.e. You're an idiot)
Shut Up Troll!
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Can't ask for more than this from Samsung, they seem to be trying hard on this front.
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Meanwhile Apple signs up for more!
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Do your homework
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Well, they did start switching from Foxconn to a cheaper supplier, as they felt Foxconn's "high standards" were too high maintenance for their liking, didn't they? :)
Apple said Foxconn standards are too high so we are leaving them really.
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Good guy Samsung.
Research how they treat their own workers before issuing blanket statements idiot.
Search up 'sarcasm' and come back when you do. ;)
"Samsung saves face after getting caught using child labor"
Apple uses child labor
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I'm sure they do, I'm sure most companies outsourcing to China are guilty of this.
That is completely immaterial. Apple doing shitty things does not excuse Samsung, or any other company, from doing shitty things. What the hell is wrong with you?
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And Samsung are not using Apple as an excuse, or did you completely ignore reading the short article post above?
You are
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It all comes to the Chinese government, and they really don't give a F*&%. They are all about keeping wages low, materials low, and business and manufacturing in High Demand no matter what the cost to the people and the environment. They could care less what the international community thinks of their conditions as well. China is trying to get more people into the middle class on the backs of the 750 million poor.
So does:
- HP
- IBM
- AMD
- Intel
- Dell
- Microsoft
- General Motors
- *Every toy in Toys-R-Us
- *Every item in Best Buy
- *Every item in Wal-Mart
- *99.99999% of items in Target
Get off your high horse you f***ing hypocrite.
Wow I would've never thunk!
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*Phone made by child labor
The West celebrates while the kids suffer after losing their source of income.
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Those kids shouldn't have been put in that situation to begin with. I don't blame Samsung at all with that decision. Maybe more of their phones will be made in Korea vs China now.
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It must be look like a long way down from your high horse up there. You have no idea how these jobs improved the lives of these children and their families.
If child labor is illegal in China and they keep breaking the law there why should China continue to make phones for Samsung? And in the forums I always see threads asking if their phone was made in Korea or China. Now I can see people now not wanting a phone made in China because it could be defective as a result of it being made by a child. I'm just saying...
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It must look like pumpkins and sunflowers from your imaginary cloud, also.
If you think child labor is some luxurious lifestyle that significantly improves the lives of the children and their families, I urge you to move your family there and let your children work there.
Please share with the group how in the "real" world children who lose their jobs are made better off.
As to your second comment, your logic is flawed. What you actually mean to to ask is, Ceteris paribus, would you rather live in a society that allows your kids to legally work or one where it's illegal? With that choice I'll gladly move to the land of the free.
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Child labor is illegal in China, as it should be. Everyone is celebrating. If you cannot support your own children, do not procreate.
Thank you. It is sad, however, that some people cannot understand that.
Posted from my TARDIS!
You're right there.. But.. Whether one should or shouldn't procreate is irrelevant now. The child is there. What does the child do to support him or herself? The child may have lost its source of income. Illegal or not.. What does the child do now?
Don't get me wrong. I do not support child labor. But I think to myself... Poor kids. Either they are forced to work or live a life of poverty...
Two wrongs don't make a right, and child labor undermine other efforts to improve their situation while encouraging the status quo. Should we have allowed a reprieve on slavery because many slaves didn't know how to read or couldn't easily find a job? It wasn't an easy situation either but the right choice is clear.
That child is hungry and he just lost his source of income for food. What is he going to do now? What would you do?
You say 2 wrongs don't make a right but until China does something you have all these kids who are used to earning money for food unable to do so. What are they going to do? The hungrier they get, what are they going to do?
Posted via Android Central App using an LG G2.
Take a walk down ANY inner-city in America and tell me what you see. So many damn folks with 6-8 kids on welfare that your, my and my neighbor's taxes go towards. Maybe China has the right idea: Don't give handouts that allow you to own a house, drive a car and feed 8 kids. It's pathetic.
Everyone except the people actually effected. Unless I missed the section that talks about Samsung hiring the kids, the Chinese government giving them scholarships and you or any other American sending them monthly allowances.
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As already mentioned, the people affected never should have put themselves in the position to begin with. A child is not obligated to support the adults who brought it into this world; nor is a child obligated to support itself. Rather, it is the adult's obligation to support the child, or not bring one into this world.
Your opinion of how things should be are irrelevant to how things actually are.
I don't think kids should have to commit crimes or become prostitutes to support themselves yet it still happens everyday. Some don't because they have the fortune of working in a local sweat shop. Unfortunately, people like you fight to remove this alternative condemning them to something far worse.
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Both prostitution and child labor are crimes, and I will fight for the abolishment of both until the day I die. It is incredibly heartless to create a child, knowing it will be forced into a life of crime and suffering because the parents cannot support it. I'll repeat myself, and others: If this is the only means of supporting the child, do not have a child.
You are still making statements based on how you think the world should be rather than facts.
This is a discussion not about should poor people have kids but rather, how does this decision impact the lives of kids who are already in this situation.
If you want to fight poverty and child prostitution/crime then start a sweat shop and put them to work.
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There is no better solution to a problem, than preventing the problem in the first place.
"If you want to fight poverty and child prostitution/crime then start a sweat shop and put them to work."
Child labor _is_ crime.
You cannot simply prevent poverty. That is the default state of man. The question is what system leads to the most wealth for the most people?
The historical record is clear: Capitalism
Let the market work and soon enough child labor will be a distant memory.
Continue to fight for Heaven on Earth through the force of law and these kids will be trapped in hell.
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You probably don't realize some of those kids will get cancer or leukemia from benzene poisoning from working at those factories.
Just look at the person's user name. Whether he's a troll or a legit Ayn Rand disciple, there's no use arguing with him.
Lol you're killing me.
Well, if he's a troll, he's celebrating his success. If he's an Ayn Rand disciple, he's likely smarter than you, has put more effort into understand the problem than you, and comes from a higher morality than you, so you're right on all points! Cheers!
People die every year logging, driving trucks in dangerous conditions and on construction sites. Should we ban these too?
Every decision in life you make forces you to calculate risk vs reward. Only the individual can know what value they place on each. Removing their freedom to choose will undoubtedly force individuals into inferior positions than they otherwise would have been given the choice to choose.
There is nothing wrong with a sweat shop. I assure you someone in your family once worked in one to better their life. They likely had the idea they'd work hard so that their kids and their kids after them (you) didn't have to. THIS is what your robbing from these kids.
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I see child labour every day, and I have seen the report from CLW thoroughly. Reports from CLW show a 1000x better working condition for (child) labourers than what I see here everyday. Even if you want, you will not be able to drag these child labourers out of this situation as there is nobody else to feed him. So if you say you can't work here, he will go straight into crime. That's the actual reality of life here.
I see tons of underage child working in construction, factories, shops every single day. Their condition is much worse than anything mentioned in CLW report. And you don't need to send any investigative reporter or undercover agent to know this. They are just openly visible to you everywhere.
What a completely detached statement. They shouldn't be working. They should be at school.
How big of an idiot are you? Do you honestly believe school will help these children? It won't. Most of them probably left because attending school would put their families into debt they would NEVER be able to climb out of. Not to mention the cost of attending a University. What a moron.
You are really not able to connect your thoughts.
Continuing working with them and actively support child labour will not change anything. The only complete idiot around here is you, mate. Taking away the company's income will result in one of two things. The company will improve their standards to what the buyers want, or they will perish. In both cases we'll have one company less using child labour.
Your comment above, that you think child labour is a great solution for the US unemployment issues is just mind-bogglingly idiotic.
People shouldn't starve. People should have access to medical care. People should be happy.
Positive statements are of no help to those who need it.
Take a moment to ponder the question, as a poor Chinese teenager, would I rather be a prostitute or a factory worker for Samsung?
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As a poor Chinese teenager in the fastest growing economy in the world, I would stride for improved living standards according to that fast growing economy. Turning a blind eye to child labour is not helping anything.
Working a job IS raising their standard of living. You must resist the urge to compare working in a sweatshop to your own situation.
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Are you for real? SERIOUSLY? Would you've been able to read this comment if you've had to work through your childhood instead of going to school? Thinking that working as a child is better than having them going to school is so effing retarded. It has nothing to do with sweatshops.
Sigh... Please don't vote.
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Why, because you only want short-sighted people like you to vote? :D
Seriously, stop commenting on stuff on the internet. There's always a risk you'll succeed in making someone else a little bit stupider.
Samsung only sells to the west?
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