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PRESS RELEASE: Uyghur Congress Highlights Plight of Uyghur Women in East Turkistan and Work of Uyghur Women Activists on International Women’s Day

PRESS RELEASE: Uyghur Congress Highlights Plight of Uyghur Women in East Turkistan and Work of Uyghur Women Activists on International Women’s Day

Press Release – For immediate release
8 March 2019
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

On International Women’s Day, the World Uyghur Congress draws attention to the very difficult situation faced by Uyghur women in East Turkistan. Uyghur women face multiple forms of discrimination simultaneously and are subject to routine human rights abuses on the basis of the ethnic identity and gender.

China currently holds up to two million Uyghurs in political indoctrination camps where Uyghur women are at particular risk of mistreatment and sexual and gender-based violence. Survivors of the camps who have spoken publicly about their experiences have reported that detainees have been subjected to torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment, which is reportedly aggravated for female detainees. Mihrigul Tursun and Omer Bekali, both previously held in the camps, reported that Uyghur women were regularly sexually assaulted and harassed by police and security, were forcibly given medication that stopped menstruation and were not provided adequate hygiene supplies.

Outside of the camps, Uyghur women face routine discrimination and denial of basic rights. They face unequal access to employment, healthcare, education and their participation in other aspects of society remains restricted. Reproductive rights remain an area of major concern. There have been numerous reports of forced abortions and forced marriages to Chinese men, though they remain difficult to verify. As the Chinese government attempts to assimilate Uyghurs by targeting the next generation, the reproductive rights of Uyghur women appear to have been targeted in particular.

Although the situation appears dire, the WUC would also like to note the excellent work done by Uyghur women activists around the world in raising Uyghur human rights issues. Many female activists have emerged as some of the strongest leading voices in the movement.

In particular, the WUC appreciates the One Voice, One Step Initiative which has done excellent work raising awareness of issues of gender discrimination and the situation in East Turkistan more broadly. The initiative, led by Uyghur activist and director of Campaign for Uyghurs, Rushan Abbas, in coordination with a number of other activists based in the USA and Europe, has been taking steps to mobilize and unite Uyghur women to work together to improve the situation for the Uyghur people through concrete actions. The initiative held its first action on March 15, 2018, organizing demonstrations and mobilising hundreds of Uyghur women, children and men in 18 cities in 14 countries including the USA, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, France, Finland and Japan in a successful example of collective action.

This year, One Voice, One Step has organized a series of photo exhibitions in 33 cities in 15 countries, centered around the theme: ‘Concentration Camps are Back’. The photo exhibitions will illustrate the horrific realities of the camps and the effects that this crime against humanity has had on the Uyghur population. This year’s campaign is targeting the general public around the world and intends to show the human costs and suffering that the camps have caused for Uyghurs.

The WUC encourages all those who are concerned with the situation in East Turkistan or would like to have more information to attend one of the photo exhibitions. For detailed information about locations and dates that the exhibitions will be displayed, please refer to the website and press releaseof the One Voice, One Step initiative.