Wii U manufacturer Foxconn has admitted that they've employed a number of underaged individuals at their company. They shared the information with Reuters, saying:
Our investigation has shown that the interns in question, who ranged in age from 14 to 16, had worked in that campus for approximately three weeks.
This is not only a violation of China’s labour law, it is also a violation of Foxconn policy and immediate steps have been taken to return the interns in question to their educational institutions.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo isn't too pleased about this news and is currently investigating the situation. “We take our responsibilities as a global company very seriously and are committed to an ethical policy on sourcing, manufacture and labor,” a statement from the company said. “If we were to find that any of our production partners did not meet our guidelines, we would require them to modify their practices according to Nintendo’s policy.”
According to a report from China Labor Watch (via Kotaku), students were allegedly forced to work there for extra credit, otherwise face expulsion. "If you don't intern, then you won't get any credit, won't receive a graduation diploma, or may even be kicked out of school," the source said.
That's got wrong written all over it.
[Via]
