Behind The Camps’ Gates: Rape And Sexual Violence Against Uyghur Women
Ewelina U. OchabContributor
Policy
Over the recent years, several news outlets reported on the dire situation of the Uyghur Muslims in China who were being detained in camps for “re-education purposes.” This was followed by in-depth research suggesting that these minority communities are subjected to violence and abuse, modern day slavery and women are subjected to forced sterilization. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to deny these allegations. Despite some international focus, the alleged atrocities did not stop, and did not stop at mass incarceration, forced labor, forces sterilizations and forced abortions. Reports of rape and sexual violence followed. According to a new report by the
BBC, “Women in China's ‘re-education’ camps for Uyghurs have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured.”
This photo taken on May 31, 2019 shows a watchtower on a high-security facility near what is ... [+]
AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Among the testimonies obtained by the
BBC, Tursunay Ziawudun, who fled Xinjiang to the U.S., stated that “women were removed from the cells ‘every night’ and raped by one or more masked Chinese men.” She added that she was tortured and gang-raped three times in the camp. There are more stories like that. Indeed, Qelbinur Sedik, an Uzbek woman from Xinjiang who was teaching Chinese in the camp, recalled one Uyghur woman saying that “The rape has become a culture. It is gang rape and the Chinese police not only rape them but also electrocute them. They are subject to horrific torture.” Another teacher, Sayragul Sauytbay, said that guards “picked the girls and young women they wanted and took them away.”
Another woman, Gulzira Auelkhan, testified that the very job she was forced to do was to “remove their clothes (...) and handcuff them so they cannot move. Then I would leave the women in the room and a man would enter - some Chinese man from outside or policeman. I sat silently next to the door, and when the man left the room I took the woman for a shower.” She added that these men “would pay money to have their pick of the prettiest young inmates.”
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Torture and physical abuse were also common. Ziawudun, a 42 year-old Uyghur woman testified how she was subjected to abuse: “They had an electric stick, I didn't know what it was, and it was pushed inside my genital tract, torturing me with an electric shock.”
The CCP has not commented on the
BBC reporting yet. However, it is expected that the allegations will be denied. Indeed, in a recent statement challenging allegations of forced sterilization and forced abortions, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. tweeted that a “study shows that in the process of eradicating extremism, the minds of Uyghur women in Xinjiang were emancipated and gender equality and reproductive health were promoted, making them no longer baby-making machines. They were more confident and independent.” The tweet aims to portray the forced sterilizations and forced abortions as emancipation of women. The post was since removed by Twitter for violating Twitter’s rules.
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Despite these severe allegations that point towards international crimes, as genocide or crimes against humanity, the international community has done little to ensure that the alleged atrocities are investigated and those responsible brought to justice. International bodies, such as the United Nations, have been greatly silent, with a few meaningless statements that do not follow with decisive actions to change the fate of the targeted communities.
What other evidence needs to be brought to light before the international community wakes up and acts?
Reports of rape and sexual violence followed. According to a new report by the BBC, “Women in China's ‘re-education’ camps for Uyghurs have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured.”
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