Uyghur Children Subjected to Abusive Military Training Amidst Forced Separation from Parents

Uyghur children remain a primary target in China’s ongoing genocide against the Uyghur population, as reports indicate their distressing treatment under the guise of patriotic military training.

Disturbing videos circulating online reveal hundreds of Uyghur children, aged 7 to 10, enduring physically and emotionally demanding activities such as intensive running, standing for flag ceremonies, and chanting patriotic slogans in classrooms and training fields. The children, visibly distressed, can be heard crying out for their mothers.

It has been widely reported by the media that Uyghur kids are physically and mentally tormented at the boarding schools after being separated from their parents.

Chinese authorities claim that such military training is essential to instill loyalty towards the country and the Chinese Communist Party among the children. However, the extent of this training of Uyghur children appears to far exceed the standard military education provided to Han Chinese students.

Official Chinese state media highlights the disciplined military posture training undertaken by Chinese students, emphasizing the learning of military uniform dressing and marching in orderly lines under the guidance of instructors. It is important to note that unlike Uyghur children, Chinese students are not forcibly separated from their parents, and parental observation is permitted during their training.

In May, Yunnan Province official website reported that “National defense education enters the campus, igniting the youth dream of strengthening the country.A primary school in Shaoguan ushered in a military training instructor”. The school invited 8 military instructors from the Armed Forces Department of the Xiaokeng Town People’s Government, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City to enter the school “In order to carry forward the spirit of patriotism, enhance the national defense awareness of young people, and promote national defense education to be deepened and solid”

Uyghur Times’ investigation reveals that Uyghur children endure not only physical abuse but also severe psychological trauma in boarding schools, as they are forcibly separated from their parents. Many parents have been detained in labor camps, prisons, or are living abroad, while some have tragically lost their lives while detained.

The distressing treatment of Uyghur children underscores the ongoing human rights crisis faced by the Uyghur community, with reports of physical and mental torment endured by children in these institutions after being forcibly separated from their families.