14 DAY TRIAL // The most recent news about Foxconn most likely revolved around how it had been getting increased orders from HP, Apple, Sony and other top players, causing its first-quarter profits to surge by 35%. However, there is a rather dark, if not morbid, side to this story. To put it bluntly, while the factory churns out various electronics for worldwide shipment, suicides and suicide attempts have become something of a frequent occurrence in the southern manufacturing hub in Shenzen.
Since the year started, eight or more people fell to their deaths from dorm windows, whereas another two somehow survived but were left with very serious injuries. All of them were young people, with ages between 18 and 24 years. The latest to meet such an end was a 21-year-old male. His suicide occurred just a few days after another worker died in a similar fashion and drew the world's attention to the situation at Foxconn.
Seeing that the string of suicides had become a real problem, Foxconn executives were supposedly considering hiring an exorcist to perform a service in said building. Meanwhile, those that look at these events are more inclined to believe that it is the working conditions, especially the 12-hour shifts + overtime, that drives such people to acts of desperation. The working conditions were brought to light by a journalist from Southern Weekend, after a 28-day undercover investigation. Workers were revealed to be suffering from serious cases of depression and exhaustion, and most did not dare hope that their lives would ever improve.
Regardless of what the real causes are, the fact remains that people don't just commit suicide by jumping out windows, especially not after supposedly hacking themselves with a knife repeatedly. Those that are interested in the full report of the aforementioned journalist can read a full human translation here, and form their own opinion.