China View: Uyghur Culture Under Threat In Xinjiang
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Starting in 2014, Beijing has continually proceeded to intensify policies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) to curb population growth and combat terrorism. These policies have included the mass internment of Uyghur people, increased widespread surveillance, alleged forced labor, alleged forced abortions and sterilizations, as well as suppression of religious freedoms.
The Uyghurs are a Turkic-Muslim ethnic group making up about 45% of the population in Xinjiang, located in northwestern China. These policies have had a devastating impact on the rights and freedoms of the Uyghur people, especially the Uyghur women.
One of these policies included a massive campaign targeting birth control violations. Since the implementation of this policy, exceeding the birth quota has become the most common reason for the detention of Uyghur women. There are numerous personal accounts of Uyghur women being subjected to forced sterilization through injections or intrusive birth prevention surgeries, such as the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD), received at detention camps. Is this a justifiable response to address these violations?
Uyghur women who are forced to undergo birth control procedures are rarely informed about the side effects and regularly experience lifelong health complications and psychological trauma. Gülgine, a Uyghur doctor and women’s health specialist based in Istanbul, said that since opening her health center in 2013 she has examined around 300 exiled Uyghur women from Xinjiang, most of which had received some form of birth control. She had seen at least 200 Uyghur women fitted with IUDs and stated that 80 of these Uyghur women had been forcibly sterilized.
“I’ve also seen cases in which the women had no clue they’d been sterilized. Eighty percent of the [Uyghur] women I’ve seen have had IUDs. Sixty percent have been sterilized … For these reasons, I’ve seen women who not only have physical injuries but who also have psychological problems.” -Gülgine
As a result of Beijing’s aggressive birth control measures, the population growth in Xinjiang has declined dramatically. Growth rates fell by 84% in the two largest Uyghur prefectures between 2015 and 2018 and declined further in several minority regions in 2019. This has occurred in tandem with China’s campaign against religious extremism.
Xinjiang Statistical Yearbooks, associated Press.
In recent years, the Chinese government has escalated its repression of the Uyghur population, alleging that this community holds extremist and separatist views. The government has taken measures to heighten security in the region, which has led to increased restrictions on practicing Islam. Many Uyghurs have expressed concern about losing their Uyghur culture, language, and religion as result of Beijing’s intensified policies.
“The disappearance of the scriptural plaque from the entrance to Id Kah (Mosque) is one aspect of the Chinese regime’s evil policies meant to eliminate the Islamic faith among Uyghurs, to eliminate Uyghur faith... and Uyghurs themselves”
- Alawudun, Director of Religious Affairs Committee for the World Uyghur Congress
China has consistently denied allegations regarding its harsh treatment of the Uyghurs and has not provided access to international investigations. In the absence of official reports detailing the situation, media outlets and international non-governmental organizations have had to rely on testimonies, satellite images, and leaked official Chinese government documents to understand and raise awareness of the issues faced by the Uyghur people.
A former resident of Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang, 38-year-old Zumrat Dawut said she was fined 18,400 yuan (approximately $2,600) in 2018 for having three children, which is one more than she was allowed to under law. When she went to pay the fine, she was told she would also need to undergo a mandatory birth control procedure.
Dawut said that since the procedure, she has experienced negative side effects including a hormone imbalance, a total cessation in menstruation, and psychological trauma. Many women have described in recent interviews and testimonies these painful procedures that left them both physically and emotionally scarred.
In 2014, approximately 200,000 IUDs were inserted in Xinjiang. By 2018, the number of IUDs surged by more than 60% to nearly 330,000. At the same time, IUD use plummeted elsewhere in China, as many women began getting the devices removed following the end of the one-child policy in 2016, which had restricted most families from having more than one child.
Annual Health and Hygiene Statistical Yearbooks, tables 8-8-2 (and 7-6-2 prior to 2012), Adrian Zenz.
However, for the Uyghur women, the IUDs used in their procedures were designed so that they could only be removed through surgical procedures by state-approved medical practitioners. Attempts to remove these devices with unauthorized procedures would result in detainment and harsh fines.
The Xinjiang government also began allocating tens of millions of dollars to birth control surgery programs. While sterilization rates plunged in the rest of the country, they surged in Xinjiang from 2016 to 2018. In 2019 and 2020, the Xinjiang Health Commission budgeted 750.4 and 733.9 million Chinese yuan (approximately USD 104.7 and 102.4 million) towards financial incentives for participation in IUD placements and sterilizations. Beijing has vehemently denied these accusations and has stated that these reports “are scandalous remarks with malicious purpose”.
The Uyghur community also continues to face discrimination by the Chinese government who continue to enforce policies that restrict their ability to practice Islam. Chinese officials are concerned that Uyghurs hold extremist and separatist ideas. Since 9/11 and the United States-led Global War on Terror, Beijing has framed Uyghur protests and unrest as terrorism.
In 2009, rioting in Ürümqi broke out as mostly Uyghur demonstrators protested against state-incentivized Han Chinese, the ethnic group native to mainland China, migration in the region as well as widespread economic and cultural discrimination. This resulted in the deaths of nearly two hundred people and marked a turning point in Beijing’s attitude toward Uyghurs.
Since then, numerous incidents of violence have occurred in the region including anti-government protests and attacks on police stations. The government has blamed many of these incidents on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist group founded by militant Uyghurs. Beijing’s response to this intensifying violence has focused on the strengthening of security and counterterrorism measures.
In 2017, Xinjiang’s government passed an anti-extremism law that imposed strict restrictions on Uyghur religious beliefs and practices. This policy also accelerated arrests and trials of suspected terrorists. Xinjiang plays a pivotal role in China’s continued development, which explains some of these efforts to increase stability and control in the region. Xinjiang contains approximately 40% of the national coal reserves and the largest gas reserves. The region is pivotal to the success of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is an extensive global infrastructure project.
Forced birth control, sterilization, and religious repression continue to afflict the Uyghur community. The continued intensification of these policies risks the dilution and potential loss of the Uyghur culture and identity. While China’s treatment of the Uyghur people has been consistently reported on by major regional media outlets, the international response has remained limited.
Even Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have done little to address these concerns. China should be held accountable for its treatment of the Uyghur people. This lack of an adequate international response is in part due to fears of economic and political retaliation from China.
International organizations have attempted to conduct independent investigations, but have had limited success in gaining access to the region. The international community should continue to draw attention to this situation by calling for human rights investigations and considering imposing economic penalties to put pressure on Beijing.
In the absence of an international response, Uyghur women have continued to fight for Uyghur freedom and self-empowerment. Uyghur women who managed to escape China continue to speak about their experiences, despite threats against them and their families back in Xinjiang. These testimonies have sparked public discourse and have offered critical perspectives on events and issues in Xinjiang that are affecting the Uyghur community.
Uyghur women have spoken in front of the United States Congress, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, and at the United Nations. These larger platforms help tremendously in raising global awareness and will place further pressure on Beijing to respond or act.
International organizations and national governments should continue to promote these voices and provide stages for them at international conferences and national events to help reach a broader audience. While the general effectiveness of economic sanctions is uncertain, countries with these measures in place should also consider raising these sanctions on China to enhance economic pressure on the country.
