International Youth Day: Rahima Mahmut Raises Alarm Over Alleged Erasure of Uyghur Identity Through Family Separation

On International Youth Day, Rahima Mahmut, Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, has drawn attention to the alleged separation of Uyghur children from their families, warning that the practice is contributing to the erosion of their cultural and religious identity. Mahmut said the day is meant to celebrate the hopes, aspirations and potential of young people, but argued that many Uyghur children have been deprived of the opportunity to grow up within their own families and communities.

According to Mahmut, as many as 900,000 Uyghur children had been separated from their parents by 2019 and placed in state-run boarding schools and residential kindergartens. She alleged that the policy has resulted in children becoming increasingly disconnected from the Uyghur language, culture and faith, adding that the number of children affected could now be significantly higher.

She also pointed to footage that she said showed Uyghur children between the ages of five and 11 being encouraged or pressured to pledge allegiance to the Chinese military. The children were reportedly speaking Mandarin rather than Uyghur. Mahmut described the alleged practice as indoctrination rather than education.

Mahmut further claimed that some Uyghur children had been left without their parents after both were allegedly detained in political prison camps. She cited estimates suggesting that the wider detention system could involve up to three million people, while also alleging that forced labour transfers had separated other children from their families.

She additionally raised allegations concerning forced abortions and sterilisation involving Uyghur women, arguing that such policies had prevented some children from being born. Mahmut described the alleged measures as part of a broader attempt to weaken Uyghur identity by targeting younger generations. She argued that separating children from their parents and placing them under state control could undermine family ties and reduce children's exposure to their language, traditions and religious beliefs.

"The CCP's goal is clear: replace the family with the Party," Mahmut said. On International Youth Day, she urged the international community to support Uyghur children and young people and defend their right to grow up with their families, speak their native language and maintain their cultural identity. Mahmut said Uyghur youth should be able to build their futures with dignity, freedom and without fear, stressing that the next generation should have the opportunity to determine its own future.