Following reports that Chinese manufacturer Foxconn has been employing underage employees as part of an “internship program” to address a labour shortage, Nintendo has expressed concern. As one of Foxconn’s clients, it obviously doesn’t need the stigmata of “child labour” hanging over its head, especially with the Wii U release coming up.
Speaking to IGN on the matter, Nintendo released a statement saying, “We take our responsibilities as a global company very seriously and are committed to an ethical policy on sourcing, manufacture and labor. In order to ensure the continued fulfillment of our social responsibility throughout our supply chain, we established the Nintendo CSR Procurement Guidelines in July 2008.
“We require that all production partners, including Foxconn, comply with these Guidelines, which are based on relevant laws, international standards and guidelines. 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.”
Foxconn has stated that there are no instances of children being employed in other facilities.