Deutsche Bank: Dispute concerning profit from forced labour in China

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) charged the Deutsche Bank on Monday of contravening its own trading principles by dealing with shares of the Chinese wig maker "Henan Rebecca”. The firm employs forced labour. " It is an expression of unparalleled ignorance towards human rights if the Deutsche Bank continues to trade in the stocks of this firm although it has been well known for several months that at least three of their forced labourers were tortured to death” criticised the GfbV Asia expert Ulrich Delius. The human rights organisation wants to request Manfred Nowak, when he visits China at the end of November, to investigate the death of the three Falun Gong followers, who were forced to work at "Henan Rebecca”. Several German newspapers have put the critical question as to whether the Deutsche Bank profits from the employment of forced labour in the wig firm in China.

It is well known since the beginning of 2004 that imprisoned Falun Gong followers in the Xuchang City Labour Camp No. 3 and the Shibalihe Womens Labour Camp No. 2 in Zhenzhou City (Province Henan), which provide labourers for "Henan Rebecca” are subject to systematic torture. Falun Gong had stated in a press release on the 10th February 2004 that at least three members of the meditation movement in both labour camps were tortured to death in the years 2002/2003. Some 100.000 of the 310.000 persons being held in labour camps are Falun Gong followers, who are persecuted only on account of their faith.

The use of compulsory labour by "Henan Rebecca” is well known and has been published, said Delius. It takes an internet search of only a few minutes to see that the firm uses forced labour. In view of the catastrophic reputation of "Henan Rebecca” it is irrelevant for the Deutsche bank to point out in a statement that they only carry out a risk analysis in specific cases. "The show the Deutsche Bank makes for human rights is nothing but a farce if the Bank remains inactive when her business partner in China blatantly contravenes human rights.”