Washington, DC [US], January 17 (ANI): Orphanage-style boarding schools for Uyghur children whose parents were detained by Xinjiang authorities remain open and are even expanding, Radio Free Asia reported.
According to reports, these schools, which have been operational since the mass detentions began in 2017, are meant to house children of Uyghurs held in internment camps, despite the Chinese government’s claims that these camps, often referred to as “re-education” facilities, have been closed. However, evidence provided by local police officers and teachers confirms that these schools are still active and growing, particularly in regions like Yarkand, Kashgar, Aksu, and Hotan.
At least six such schools are currently in operation across these regions. One police officer from Yarkand county detailed how she has been assigned to transport children, whose parents were arrested, to various school locations, describing the facilities as dormitory-style buildings where children are isolated from their families, Radio Free Asia reported.
Despite the Chinese government’s assertion that these camps were for vocational training, numerous reports from human rights groups and former detainees reveal these schools to be indoctrination centers, designed to strip Uyghur children of their cultural identity and beliefs.
The so-called “Little Angels” schools, as described by Radio Free Asia, have been set up to “protect” children whose parents were detained. These schools are part of a broader scheme to monitor and indoctrinate these children, with police officers working alongside teachers to track the psychological and ideological state of each child.
Records are kept on every child, noting their emotional responses and any signs of resistance to the Chinese state narrative. These children, often traumatized by the sudden removal of their parents, are subjected to a strict regime meant to sever their connection to their heritage and culture.
In some cases, these schools are guarded with barbed wire and police officers patrol the gates, as detailed by a police officer from Yarkand county. The children, though reported to be well-fed, are held in an environment that starkly resembles a detention facility rather than an educational institution. The mass incarceration of Uyghur adults and the forcible separation of children has led to the scattering of around 500,000 Uyghur children in state-run boarding schools, orphanages, and other institutions.
This systematic effort to erase Uyghur culture and identity is a clear violation of human rights, and it highlights China’s ongoing campaign of cultural genocide, as noted by a 2021 report from the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy. Radio Free Asia’s investigation paints a chilling picture of the state’s control over Uyghur children, offering a glimpse into the continued efforts to forcibly assimilate the Uyghur population. (ANI)
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