XIANGYANG, China (AP) – With two young children, Deng Guilian hadn’t planned on going back to work. That changed after her husband was arrested while investigating labor abuses at Chinese suppliers for Ivanka Trump’s brand.
Now the 36-year-old mom works the overnight shift at a karaoke parlor and stays in a dorm. She gets just three days off a month to see her kids.
She flashed an uneasy smile when she said, “They seem accustomed to not having their mom.”
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, right, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, hugs their son Bo Bo, 4, as she gets ready to go to work at their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Apple Inc. and Ivanka Trump’s brand both rely on Chinese suppliers that have been criticized for workplace abuses. But they’ve taken contrasting approaches to dealing with supply chain problems. When Apple learned thousands of student workers at an iPhone supplier had been underpaid, it helped them get their money back. After three men investigating labor abuses at factories that made Ivanka Trump shoes were arrested last year, neither Ivanka Trump nor her brand spoke out. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Ivanka Trump has sought to bring an aura of female empowerment to her lifestyle brand and spoken out for women’s rights from her post at the White House. But her legacy has been less than empowering for at least one woman in China.
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, speaks during an interview in her home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, left, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, eats lunch with their son Bo Bo, 4, center, and daughter Chen Chen, 7, in their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Apple Inc. and Ivanka Trump’s brand both rely on Chinese suppliers that have been criticized for workplace abuses. But they’ve taken contrasting approaches to dealing with supply chain problems. When Apple learned thousands of student workers at an iPhone supplier had been underpaid, it helped them get their money back. After three men investigating labor abuses at factories that made Ivanka Trump shoes were arrested last year, neither Ivanka Trump nor her brand spoke out. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 18, 2017, photo, smoke and steam rises from a factory near the home of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng and his wife Deng Guilian on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 18, 2017, photo, Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, walks with his son Bo Bo, 4, as he takes him to school on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this December 18, 2017, photo, Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, center, walks with his daughter Chen Chen, 7, left, and son Bo Bo, 4, right, as he takes them to school on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 18, 2017, photo, Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng opens the front door of a local police station as he prepares to do a weekly check-in with officials on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, right, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, waves goodbye to her son Bo Bo, 4, as she leaves to go to work at their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, right, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, pats their son Bo Bo, 4, on the head as she gets ready to go to work at their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this December 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, right, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, talks to their son Bo Bo, 4, and daughter Chen Chen, 7, left, as she gets ready to go to work at their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, and their daughter Chen Chen, 7, walk through the front door of their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian and Hua Haifeng’s children Chen Chen, 7, left, and Bo Bo, 4, play in the front room of their family’s home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this December 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, center, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, and their daughter Chen Chen, 7, left, and son Bo Bo, 4, right, chase chickens out of the yard of their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this December 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, right, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, plays with building blocks with their son Bo Bo, 4, in their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this December 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian and Hua Haifeng’s daughter Chen Chen, 7, left, and son Bo Bo, 4, watch a cartoon on television in their home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, cooks a meal in the kitchen in her home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In this Dec. 17, 2017, photo, Deng Guilian, the wife of Chinese labor activist Hua Haifeng, chops vegetables in the kitchen in her home on the outskirts of Xiangyang in central China’s Hubei Province. Deng Guilian wasn’t planning on going back to work – until her husband was arrested while investigating Ivanka Trump’s Chinese suppliers. She took a job at a local karaoke parlor and sleeps in a workplace dorm. Now she gets three days off a month to see her two young children. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.