“Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans are believed to have been ‘transferred’ from their traditional rural life to low-skilled and low-paid work since 2015, through a program described as voluntarily, but in practice Their participation has Report has been coercedthey say in statement.
‘Cultural and political spread’
They note that the labor transfer program is supported by a network of ‘vocational training centres’ focused on “cultural and political spread in a militarized environment”.
Reported participants ban the use of the Tibetan minority languagee and discourage the expression of their religious identityboth are seen by the government as obstacles to poverty reduction.
Experts fear the program could further impoverish Tibetans and lead to them being forced to work.
No monitoring mechanism
“Tibetans are suffering from away from sustainable livelihoods in which they have traditionally had a comparative advantage, such as in the production of wool and milk, and low-paying, low-skill job in manufacturing and construction,” they said.
“Tibetans are transferred directly from training centers to their new workplace, making it unclear if they will agree to this new job. There is no oversight to determine whether working conditions constitute forced labour,” they added.
Experts urge China to clarify existing measures to Tibetans refuse vocational training and labor transfer programs, monitoring working conditions in their new workplace, and respect guaranteed for Tibetan religious, linguistic and cultural identity.
They have received an initial response from the Government and are still in contact with the authorities on these matters.
Independent rights experts
The six experts making the statement were all Government-appointed Special Rapporteurs. UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Their personal duties include issues such as modern forms of slavery, human trafficking, cultural rights and minority issues.
The Special Rapporteur and other rights experts appointed by the Council work on a voluntary basis and independently of any Government or organization. They are not employees of the United Nations and do not receive remuneration for their work.
