Geneva Council is deeply troubled by the recent reports of egregious rights violations against Uyghur children in China. These reports have come to light through the diligent efforts of various human rights groups and deserve immediate attention from the international community.
According to multiple credible sources, including reputable human rights organizations, hundreds of thousands of ethnic minority children have been forcibly taken into custody by the Chinese government. Once in detention, these children face alarming and inhumane treatment, including physical abuse, all for the simple act of speaking their native languages.
The affected children come from families of Uyghur and Kazakh ethnic minority backgrounds, many of whom are being detained separately in “re-education” camps, forced labor facilities, or prisons. Shockingly, their children are placed within a network of institutions known as “boarding schools” and “orphanages,” with current estimates suggesting that this system holds up to one million innocent children. Disturbingly, there are fears that these unjust practices, including family separations and the expansion of boarding schools, may soon extend to all ethnic minority children.
The plight of these young lives is especially heartbreaking. They are subjected to brutal punishments, and in some tragic cases, siblings are forcibly separated. The ultimate goal appears to be the eradication of their native languages and cultural identities. These actions align with the criteria set forth in the United Nations Convention on Genocide and constitute a deliberate component of what can only be characterized as a systematic campaign against Uyghur and Kazakh ethnic minority communities.
Geneva Council vehemently condemns these grave violations of human rights and calls upon the international community to take immediate and decisive action. We believe that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the voices of these voiceless children are heard, and their rights are upheld. We stand in solidarity with the oppressed and demand justice for the Uyghur and Kazakh children subjected to these horrific circumstances.
