Global Rights Compliance Project Director, Samir Goswami, has co-authored an op-ed in Newsweek with Martha Newton, former Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, examining the strategic risks posed by forced labor in global critical mineral supply chains.
The op-ed argues that coerced production linked to China, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), undermines U.S. national security, economic resilience, and energy independence.
Drawing on findings from a U.S. State Department–funded Global Rights Compliance study, the authors highlight how critical minerals traced from XUAR enter Western supply chains, including sectors essential to U.S. national security.
The piece calls for stronger enforcement of existing laws such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), enhanced use of integrated data systems, leveraging the buying power of governments, and closer coordination with allies to prevent forced-labor-tainted minerals from entering global markets.
“The challenge now is not a lack of law, but a lack of enforcement at scale.”
Read the full
Read the full op-ed in Newsweek.