The Chinese Communist Party has a terrifying plan for Tibet's children: close to one million Tibetans, between four and 18 years old, have been forced into colonial boarding schools. There they are cut off from their homes, their families, their language, and their way of life. At the same time, Tibetan-language schools are being shut down and demolished.
The policies are aimed at dismantling Tibetan society and have already had a devastating impact. In the words of Dr Gyal Lo, a leading expert on these schools: “The Chinese government is tearing families apart and forcing these vulnerable children to become strangers to their own Tibetan culture.”
Tibetans are resisting this dangerous plan, and the tide now seems to be turning: UN human rights experts have condemned the CCP’s boarding school system, most recently the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recommended that China “immediately abolish the coerced residential school system imposed on Tibetan children.”
This is a key moment - the United Nations spoke up. Now MPs and governments must follow.
Take our action calling on MPs to:
- Push for a debate in the House of Commons on the Chinese government’s attempts to indoctrinate Tibetan children, which threatens the survival of Tibetan language, history, culture, and way of life.
- Call on the Foreign Secretary to work with other governments to condemn the colonial boarding schools at the forthcoming G7 meeting in April.
If you live outside the UK, you can sign our call for international governments to take action