Al Jazeera disclosed (February 11) that an 870-page report of the UN, titled Application of
International Labour Standards, which is an assessment by the Committee of Experts on the
Application of Conventions and Recommendations, sent to the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC) and to governments, alleged that China continues to engage in
widespread and systematic “programmes” involving the extensive use of forced labour of the
Uighur and other Turkic and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. It said a key feature of China’s
programme is the use of forced labour in or around internment or “re-education” camps housing
some 1.8 million Uighur and other Turkic or Muslim peoples in the region. The abuses take
place in or around prisons and workplaces across Xinjiang and other parts of the country. Life
in “re-education centres” or camps is characterised by extraordinary hardship, lack of freedom
of movement, and physical and psychological torture, according to the ITUC. It also alleges
prison labour in cotton harvesting and the manufacture of clothing and footwear. It said outside
Xinjiang, Uighur workers live and work in segregation, are required to attend Mandarin classes
and are prevented from practising their culture or religion. The Chinese government rebutted
the ITUC findings, stressing that language training for ethnic minority workers in Xinjiang is
necessary to increase their language skills and boost their employability and that the minimum
wage system applies across the country. The claims that wages of some migrant workers in
Xinjiang are as low as $114 (approximately 729 yuan) per month are groundless. However,
Beijing pledged to take steps to strengthen the inspection of employer compliance with
minimum wage provisions and call on employers to respect the minimum wage standards. It stressed that China has policies ensuring freedom of religion and actively guides religions to
adapt to the socialist society, the government said.
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