(Minghui.org) One of the forced labor jobs in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp is sewing children's down coats and pants. There are many brands. One is “Weishi” and another is “Bosideng.”
The “Feather Room”
Down coats are filled with feathers and down that fill the air. The labor camp has designated a room called the “feather room.” While there, workers have to wear masks and hats. In both summer and winter, they have to wear clothes with zippers.
A curtain hangs across the entrance all year long. When people go in and out of the room, feathers fly out. Although designated people often clean the room, the feathers are still everywhere. Feathers fly around when workers sweep with a broom. There is always floating dust in the air. Workers can see the floating dust particles and even feel the dust when they breathe.
Guards force detainees to do slave labor overtime
Although air conditioning was installed in the “feather room,” camp authorities do not turn it on to keep the electric bill down. The room has a cement floor and is very dark and damp. It is very hot in the summer and very cold in winter. Ventilation is poor. There are heating pipes near the windows, but only the guards are permitted to sit near them. Detainees work in the middle of the room. Many detainees' hands and feet are frostbitten. The guards care only about meeting their production quota. Detainees often work overtime in order to meet their quota. Guards write “one hour break at noon,” which is a lie. The detainees never have a break at noon. They start to work immediately after their lunch.
There are ten steps to make a down coat or pants. In April 2012, there were 40 detainees, but only 20 could sew. The others were elderly, disabled, or sick and could not do much of anything. With so many steps in the manufacture of these clothes, each person has to do the work of several. Those who don't sew also do hard work.
It was rumored that the camp earns ten yuan per coat or pair of pants. The daily quota is 100-200 coats and 300 pants per day. With this output, the camp earns several thousand yuan per day. However, that still does not satisfy the camp authorities. Many detainees said they preferred to be sentenced to two years in prison rather than one year in a forced labor camp. We can only imagine how brutally forced labor camps torture their detainees.
