New York: Europe and the Arabs
A number of human rights experts have expressed serious concern about allegations of a significant expansion of the state-run boarding school system in Xinjiang, China, which deprives children of learning in their mother tongue and forcibly separates Uighur and other Muslim minority children from their families, resulting in their “forced assimilation.” In the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received on Wednesday morning
In a press statement, the independent UN experts said they were deeply concerned that boarding schools in Xinjiang taught almost exclusively in the official language with little or no use of the Uyghur language as a medium of instruction.
They expressed concern that separating Uighur and other minority children from their families would lead to their forced assimilation into the Mandarin language used by the majority and the adoption of cultural practices of the majority Han group.
Experts stressed the discriminatory nature of this policy, noting the violation of the right of minorities to education without discrimination, family life, and cultural rights.
The press release stated that the experts received information about the widespread removal of children - mainly Uighur children - from their families, including very young children whose parents are in exile or detained.
The statement said that these children are treated by state authorities as “orphans” and are placed in full-time boarding schools, nurseries or orphanages where the language spoken is almost exclusively Mandarin.
“Uighurs and other minority children in highly regulated and controlled residential institutions may have little interaction with their parents, extended families or communities for much of their childhood,” the experts said.
They added that this would inevitably lead to losing contact with their families and communities and undermining their ties to their cultural, religious and linguistic identities.
It is reported, according to the statement, that Uighur children in these boarding schools receive little education in their Uighur language and that they are being subjected to increasing pressure to speak and learn only in Mandarin, instead of bilingual education. Teachers may also be subject to punishment if they use the Uighur language outside the classroom. specified.
The press release said that UN experts received information about the dramatic increase in the number of boarding schools for Muslim children and other minorities in Xinjiang in recent years, and the closure of local schools where education could be provided through minority languages.
“The sheer scale of the allegations raises very serious concerns about violations of fundamental human rights,” the experts said. Experts have communicated with the Chinese government on these issues.
The experts are: Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur on cultural rights, and Farida Shahid, Special Rapporteur on education.
It is noteworthy that special rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which is an intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. Rapporteurs and experts are tasked with studying human rights situations and submitting reports on them to the Human Rights Council. It should be noted that this position is honorary, and these experts are not considered employees of the United Nations and do not receive compensation for their work.