Samsung Discovers Evidence of Child Labor at Chinese Supplier

Have you heard that Samsung was accused of employing child labor at a Chinese factory? The Korean company has recently published a report that said that none of its 59 of its Chinese suppliers were employing child labor, but it seems that it was wrong and it has actually discovered evidence of child labor.

How could have Samsung missed the Evidences?

The factory in question is Dongguan Shinyang Electronics Co. Ltd. and surprisingly or not, three separate investigations by Samsung since 2013, with the last one actually ending on June 25 this year had found not even one single case of child labor there. What should we understand from that?

According to the company’s latest findings, it seems that this illegal hiring of underage workers took place at the end of June, but we still have our doubts about this case. Was Samsung completely unaware of the situation?

In case of you don’t remember, the New York-based China Labor Watch (CLW) is the one that first claimed that Samsung is employing child labor in its supply chain at this factory. All that CLW did was sending an undercover investigator into that Chinese factory last month and uncovered quite a few child workers, with five of them found by only the third day of investigations.

And according to the report, children are constantly employed at the factory during busy seasons, with the minors said to work for no less than 11 hours a day for three to six months, without overtime pay and social insurance. The report is also accompanied by various photos that show child workers at Shinyang, so how could have Samsung missed that? We just have a hard time accepting the company’s story, but we appreciate that it at least tries to change the situation.

Samsung’s Plans regarding Child Labor

Samsung has officially declared that “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”. Following the confirmation of all the previous allegations, Samsung has temporarily suspended business with the Dongguan Shinyang Electronics factory, making it clear that it takes in consideration the possibility to permanently halt all business with them.

Samsung also said it plans to change the hiring practices at its own facilities, as well as those of its suppliers in order to make sure that such a situation will never take place again. We can only hope that the company will make sure that none of its suppliers won’t take advantage of children in this manner of another, but who knows how many other unrevealed similar cases are out there?