By Femke Rijpkema and Joanna Hosaniak | Project Leaders
Dear Donor,
Do you know where your products come from, and who suffers to produce them?
In November 2025, NKHR carried the voices of North Korean modern slavery survivors to the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. The forum was attended by 5,000 participants, including companies, governments, investors, and human rights groups. At the forum, we presented our “Made in China” investigative report and raised questions regarding modern enslavement, forced labor, and supply-chain abuses involving Chinese businesses' operations in North Korea’s prison camps.
Behind every statistic we presented were real people, mostly women, who survived unfair imprisonment, extreme hunger, physical and sexual abuse, and forced labor inside these North Korea’s detention camps. Many were targeted and unjustly arrested after being forcibly returned from China. Inside prison camps, they were stripped of their identities and made to work up to 20 hours a day, producing wigs and fake eyelashes for export. If they failed to meet the daily quota, they were denied food. One survivor told us, “Hunger was even harder to endure than the beatings.”
These abuses exist for one reason: profit. And that profit does not stop at North Korea’s borders. The products, such as wigs and fake eyelashes, are sold into international supply chains, often online, deliberately rebranded and disguised as “Made in China,” masking the suffering behind them, evading trade restrictions, and fueling the North Korean regime. Yet, at the UN Forum, we heard repeatedly from participants and business representatives that this was the first time they had heard about these illicit practices and abuses. This lack of awareness shows how important it is to raise this issue on the international stage. Companies must understand how their supply chains may be connected; they must examine and investigate their supply chains closely, and cut ties with partners who refuse to disclose the origins of their products, especially in relations with China. But first, they need to be made aware. What may appear as a low-cost sourcing decision can directly contribute to the imprisonment, abuse, and lifelong trauma of women whose labor and life is taken from them.
Even after reaching safety in South Korea, many live with deep physical and psychological trauma, such as chronic health problems and severe PTSD. Some struggle to trust others or simply to sleep through the night. These are not abstract harms; they shape every part of a survivor’s life long after the forced labor ends.
But telling this truth was not appreciated by all. When we raised concerns about forced labor linked to China, discussions were repeatedly interrupted and rebuked by Chinese delegates. On the final day of the forum, materials from our information table were stolen and destroyed. Out of more than twenty organizations present, only the two documenting abuses linked to China were targeted. However, even with security cameras present, our requests for an investigation were refused with the reasoning that “NGOs are not supposed to attack or shame any country.” Moments like this show how uncomfortable the truth can be when it challenges powerful interests.
Many governments and human rights organizations consider such acts as transnational repression against human rights defenders and victims, which is unacceptable practice under international law.
Despite these intimidations and pressures, we remain committed to standing with these women and ensuring their experiences are not erased. Your support makes this possible. It allows us to work independently, to document the truth, and bring survivor testimony directly to companies, investors, and policymakers who have the power to change how business is done. Because of you, these women’s stories reached audiences who can no longer claim they did not know.
Most importantly, thanks to your support, NKHR is able to run several counselling programs in collaboration with experts, ensuring that these women receive the support they need in the community they trust.
Thank you for standing with us!
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