

Overview
About this Lesson
The United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and several other governments, as well as the UK’s parliament, have accused the Chinese government of committing crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uyghur people, after evidence emerged that the Chinese government has forcibly sterilised Uyghur women, separated children from families, and forbidden certain Uyghur cultural practices. Uyghurs (also spelled Uighurs) are an ethnic group who are predominantly Muslim, speak a Turkic language, and live mainly in what is now the Xinjiang province in northwestern China. Since 2016, the Chinese government has targeted Uyghur people with a vast surveillance system, heavy policing, mass detentions, and forced labour systems. Researchers estimate that more than 1 million Uyghurs have been detained in a series of prison camps throughout the region.
The European Union, United States, United Kingdom, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese government officials accused of committing human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and some countries, including the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Denmark, decided to diplomatically boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics. In December 2021, the United States also passed bi-partisan legislation that requires all companies operating in Xinjiang to prove that they do not use forced labour if they wish to import products into the United States. Additionally, the United Nations published a report in September 2022 stating that China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.
The following lesson provides information and context to help students understand how the Chinese government is violating Uyghur people’s human rights, hear the voice and experiences of a young Uyghur woman, and consider how the international community has responded.
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