by Alp Uyghur
Berlin — November 14, 2025
Following the International Uyghur Women’s Dialogue held this week in Berlin, more than 80 Uyghur institutions and women’s rights organizations, along with over 130 activists, academics, and political figures, jointly released the Berlin Declaration Platform for Action on Uyghur Women’s Rights & Freedom. The declaration characterizes China’s policies in East Turkistan as “state-led practices amounting to genocide” and calls on the United Nations and world governments to take urgent action.
The three-day dialogue brought together Uyghur women leaders, global human-rights experts, and policymakers to discuss reproductive repression, forced labor, mass detention, and the gendered dimensions of China’s transnational repression. Panels addressed issues such as coercive population control, technology-enabled surveillance, family separation, and the challenges faced by Uyghur women in exile.
A U.S. Congresswoman sent a congratulatory video message, praising the initiative and affirming continued support for Uyghur women’s rights and freedom.In her address, Rep. Kim noted that “…the Chinese Communist Party is committing genocide and the Uyghur women are disproportionately targeted for abuse because of the CCP’s deliberate strategy to destroy the Uyghur identity. That is why I introduced and continued to champion the Uyghur Policy Act. This is an act that strengthens the U.S government’s advocacy for Uyghurs…and ensures that the CCP’s crimes are met with meaningful diplomatic and economic consequences.”
A Landmark Civil Society Document
Organizers described the Berlin Declaration as “one of the most comprehensive civil-society documents ever produced on the systemic persecution of Uyghur women.” The declaration states:
“The protection of Uyghur women in East Turkistan is a shared global responsibility.”
It asserts that China’s policies—forced sterilization, abortions, mandatory IUDs, criminalization of childbirth, and forced marriages—have led to “an unprecedented collapse in Uyghur birth rates,” constituting acts of genocide under international law.
The declaration also highlights testimonies of former detainees who described sexualized torture, humiliation, invasive medical procedures without consent, and the disappearance of countless women intellectuals and religious leaders.
Panels Highlight Transnational Repression
During Panel 3: Gendered Dimensions of Transnational Repression,
Mohd Khairul Anwar Ismail, President of Global Peace Mission Malaysia, emphasized that Uyghur women in exile face:
- harassment and intimidation,
- pressure on their families back home,
- and “double vulnerability” as both refugees and women.
Key Principles of the Berlin Declaration
The declaration affirms that Uyghur women have the right to:
- bodily autonomy,
- family unity and the right to raise children,
- cultural survival,
- safety and freedom from surveillance,
- justice, dignity, and equal participation in society.
It further states:
“Uyghur women’s bodies must not be controlled or violated as part of Beijing’s colonial genocide.”
The text warns that the sharp decline in Uyghur birth rates and widespread reproductive control measures are “central components of the genocide.”
The declaration also condemns:
- mass detention and family separation,
- placing over a million Uyghur children in state-run institutions,
- surveillance systems that track women’s movements and reproductive status,
- and forced labor programs disproportionately affecting Uyghur women.
Global Calls to Action
The Berlin Declaration outlines several urgent recommendations for governments, the UN, and civil society:
- Recognize coercive birth suppression as a key element of genocide and take diplomatic and legal action.
- Establish UN-led mechanisms to investigate abuses against Uyghur women.
- Center Uyghur women in global women’s rights advocacy and feminist movements.
- End corporate and governmental complicity in surveillance technologies used against Uyghur women.
- Strengthen enforcement of forced-labor bans and ensure supply-chain transparency.
- Provide asylum pathways, family reunification, and mental-health support for Uyghur women in exile.
- Acknowledge China’s colonial policies since 1949 as the root cause of Uyghur suffering.
- Support the expansion of a global Uyghur Women’s Network to elevate survivor voices.
The declaration concludes that protecting Uyghur women is essential to the survival of the Uyghur nation and identity:
“The international community has a legal, moral, and historical obligation to act. The survival of Uyghur women—and of their families, culture, and nation—requires nothing less.”
The World Uyghur Congress said in its statement that “The Declaration affirms that the protection of Uyghur women—who face coercive reproductive control, mass detention, sexual violence, forced labour, and state-driven surveillance—is a shared global responsibility. It outlines the urgent measures the international community must take to confront the ongoing genocide.”
Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, called on Uyghur women to unite and show strength, and urged the international community to work together to protect the rights of Uyghur women.
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