In a recent report by Nikkei Asia on September 4, it was revealed that a delegation from the International Labor Organization (ILO), led by Corinne Vargha, the head of the labor standards department, undertook a discreet visit to East Turkistan. This visit, conducted away from the foreign press, has been portrayed as an opportunity to address the grave accusations of forced labor and other egregious labor rights violations that have reverberated through the international community, echoing even in China's local press. We fervently hope that the ILO delegation seizes this critical moment to manifest an unwavering commitment to fairness and objectivity. The ILO spokesperson articulated that the mission's primary objective was to engage in "technical discussions on China's adherence to employment and occupational discrimination laws, forced labor legislation, and ratified international labor conventions."
Since 2005, China has categorized young individuals from East Turkistan as "surplus labor" and dispatched them to factories in China's affluent coastal regions as a source of exploitative, low-cost labor. Chinese media reports have divulged that this program ensnares hundreds of thousands of young people from East Turkistan annually. This statistic does not even encompass the multitude of seasonal laborers coerced into toil within the cotton and tomato fields of East Turkistan. Esteemed experts and researchers have unequivocally established that forced labor and working conditions within the concentration camps constructed in 2014 fall egregiously short of internationally recognized labor standards.
The ILO's own report, "Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labor and Forced Marriage," published in September 2022, illuminated the presence of forced and compulsory labor practices targeting Uyghurs and other vulnerable groups. It revealed that the Chinese government predominantly confines Muslims to so-called ‘vocational education’ and ‘training facilities’ in East Turkistan. This report concluded that these schemes were inherently discriminatory, laced with elements of coercion, constituting nothing short of a systemic policy. Furthermore, it underscored the grim reality that detainees had no prospect of escape, and that those deemed "surplus labor" in their hometowns were shipped to other Chinese provinces under the guise of labor transfer programs.
On August 12, 2022, China ratified the 1930 ILO Forced Labor Convention (No.29) and the 1957 Abolition of Forced Labor Convention (No.105). These conventions categorically demand that Member States "prohibit and not use any form of forced or compulsory labor." Despite China's ratification of these agreements, suspicions linger about the nation's ability to honor its commitments in East Turkistan.
As the International Union of East Turkistan Organizations, we make the following demands:
• We insist that the International Labor Organization (ILO) pierce through the veil of China's deceptive propaganda and unveil the stark reality of East Turkistan, utilizing only the most reliable and unimpeachable sources. The world deserves to know the truth.
• We urgently implore the ILO to align itself with its founding principles and vigorously call upon the Chinese government to immediately cease all forms of forced labor and labor rights violations in Xinjiang. Human rights cannot be compromised for economic gain.
• We request the ILO to exercise unwavering vigilance in continuously monitoring and assessing working conditions and workers' rights in East Turkistan. An annual report on these conditions and rights in the region must be promptly issued to ensure transparency and accountability.
