Foxconn, China's Fear Factory of Death

Foxconn, which manufactures gadgets for the likes of Apple, Sony, Nintendo and HP, among many others, has had a grim history of suicides at its factories. And houses employees who work 35-hour shifts at 31 cents an hour. A suicide cluster in 2010 saw 18 workers throw themselves from the tops of the company's buildings, with 14 deaths. In the aftermath of the suicides, Foxconn installed safety nets in some of its factories and hired counsellors to help its workers.

Nets to prevent workers from jumping to their deaths are pictured outside one of the Foxconn factory buildings in the township of Longhua, in southern Guangdong province

Chinese workers assemble electronic components at the Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn's factory in Shenzhen, in the southern Guangzhou province. Foxconn on June 2 confirmed the death of another employee but denied he died of exhaustion following a spate of suicides at its Chinese plants

This photo taken on May 26, 2010 shows the domitory bulidings for Chinese workers at the Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn's factory in Shenzhen, south China's Guangzhou province

aiwan tycoon Terry Gou (L), founder and President of Foxconn Technology Group, is surrounded by journalists while visiting the facilities at the Foxconn Lunghua plant in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, 26 May 2010. The chairman of Taiwan's Hon Hai Group flew to China on May 26 to try to stem the spate of suicides by workers at one of the firm's factories which has shocked the Chinese public. Terry Gou flew in his private jet to Shenzhen, where the company's Foxconn Technology subsidiary has a plant employing 420,000 workers. He brought along several psychiatrists to team up with Chinese doctors in seeking to a way to stop the suicides at the factory.

Foxconn employees work on the production line at the Foxconn Lunghua plant in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, 26 May 2010. The chairman of Taiwan's Hon Hai Group flew to China on May 26 to try to stem the spate of suicides by workers at one of the firm's factories which has shocked the Chinese public

A victim injured by an explosion at a Foxconn factory in May arrives at a hospital in Chengdu.

Workers install safe facilities at the dormitory in Foxconn Lunghua plant in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, 26 May 2010

Foxconn employees work on the production line at the Foxconn Lunghua plant in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province, 26 May 2010

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak walks out of the Apple Store in Los Gatos after purchasing the Apple's latest iPhone 4s on October 14, 2011 in California.

Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander takes a photograph during a two-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates.