Alarming Situation for Tibetan Children and the Environment

The Issue

The Chinese government has stripped Tibetans of their basic human rights, the systematic abuses against the Tibetan people, including restrictions on freedom of speech, religion, culture, and movement, as well as arbitrary detention and torture is no secret. Tibetan Buddhism is a central aspect of the Tibetan culture and way of life; however, the Chinese authorities have enforced stringent regulations on religious practices in the area. Monks and nuns under the age of 18 have been forcibly ordered to leave monastic life and enroll in government-run colonial boarding schools against their wishes and consent.

Three out of every four Tibetan children are forcibly separated from their families and placed in colonial-style boarding schools, with over 100,000 children aged four to six in preschools and 800,000 to 900,000 children aged six to eighteen being indoctrinated and stripped of their culture, religion, and linguistic identity, causing emotional and psychological trauma for the children. This accounts for 78% of the total Tibetan student population.

These children are educated in Mandarin Chinese and cannot visit their monasteries or homes during school breaks. This is to assimilate Tibetan children into the dominant culture and language of the colonizers. They are, nevertheless, a weapon for political indoctrination and cultural assimilation. China is not just destroying our country, but our entire civilization.

Tibet is the world's largest and tallest plateau, known as the 'Roof of the World'. This region is the origin of ten significant rivers in Asia. Approximately 2 billion individuals rely on these rivers for their fresh water needs. The extraction of minerals from Tibet, along with the growth of hydropower initiatives, large dams, urban development, and industrial growth under the guise of progress, poses a threat to Tibet's ecological balance and natural resources. 

Increased flooding occurrences in India and Bangladesh have been associated with deforestation in the south-eastern area. Consequently, the diminishing water levels in rivers highlight a need to address water resource issues as a global concern. The water resources of Tibet hold strategic significance for China in maintaining its control over countries situated downstream.

 Prior to China's annexation of Tibet, no Chinese armed forces had ever been deployed along the Himalayas. The disappearance of a neutral buffer between China and India had a significant effect on their relationship. Rising tensions at the border, restrictions on pilgrimage at Kailash Manasarovar, the construction of a network of internal highways in Tibet to connect border areas with India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan via motor able roads, and the construction of 15 airfields and 27 military airstrips in Tibet forwards to a potential war with India. The worrisome situation in Tibet serves as a wake-up call to us.  

Our Appeal

1. We appeal to the Government of India to address the issue of colonial boarding school system in Tibet and thereby protect our Tibetan Children. 

2. We urge the Government of India to engage with the Chinese leadership and address the detrimental effects of China’s development projects in Tibet that engender the deterioration of Tibet’s fragile environment

3. We urge the Government of India to take urgent measures against the Chinese Human rights violation and call for appropriate actions against the Chinese government until they are genuinely committed about resolving the issue of Tibet.

 

91

The Issue

The Chinese government has stripped Tibetans of their basic human rights, the systematic abuses against the Tibetan people, including restrictions on freedom of speech, religion, culture, and movement, as well as arbitrary detention and torture is no secret. Tibetan Buddhism is a central aspect of the Tibetan culture and way of life; however, the Chinese authorities have enforced stringent regulations on religious practices in the area. Monks and nuns under the age of 18 have been forcibly ordered to leave monastic life and enroll in government-run colonial boarding schools against their wishes and consent.

Three out of every four Tibetan children are forcibly separated from their families and placed in colonial-style boarding schools, with over 100,000 children aged four to six in preschools and 800,000 to 900,000 children aged six to eighteen being indoctrinated and stripped of their culture, religion, and linguistic identity, causing emotional and psychological trauma for the children. This accounts for 78% of the total Tibetan student population.

These children are educated in Mandarin Chinese and cannot visit their monasteries or homes during school breaks. This is to assimilate Tibetan children into the dominant culture and language of the colonizers. They are, nevertheless, a weapon for political indoctrination and cultural assimilation. China is not just destroying our country, but our entire civilization.

Tibet is the world's largest and tallest plateau, known as the 'Roof of the World'. This region is the origin of ten significant rivers in Asia. Approximately 2 billion individuals rely on these rivers for their fresh water needs. The extraction of minerals from Tibet, along with the growth of hydropower initiatives, large dams, urban development, and industrial growth under the guise of progress, poses a threat to Tibet's ecological balance and natural resources. 

Increased flooding occurrences in India and Bangladesh have been associated with deforestation in the south-eastern area. Consequently, the diminishing water levels in rivers highlight a need to address water resource issues as a global concern. The water resources of Tibet hold strategic significance for China in maintaining its control over countries situated downstream.

 Prior to China's annexation of Tibet, no Chinese armed forces had ever been deployed along the Himalayas. The disappearance of a neutral buffer between China and India had a significant effect on their relationship. Rising tensions at the border, restrictions on pilgrimage at Kailash Manasarovar, the construction of a network of internal highways in Tibet to connect border areas with India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan via motor able roads, and the construction of 15 airfields and 27 military airstrips in Tibet forwards to a potential war with India. The worrisome situation in Tibet serves as a wake-up call to us.  

Our Appeal

1. We appeal to the Government of India to address the issue of colonial boarding school system in Tibet and thereby protect our Tibetan Children. 

2. We urge the Government of India to engage with the Chinese leadership and address the detrimental effects of China’s development projects in Tibet that engender the deterioration of Tibet’s fragile environment

3. We urge the Government of India to take urgent measures against the Chinese Human rights violation and call for appropriate actions against the Chinese government until they are genuinely committed about resolving the issue of Tibet.

 

Supporter Voices

Petition Updates

Share this petition

Petition created on 4 November 2024