FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 27 February 2025
[Geneva] – With the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights set to deliver his global update on 3 March, all eyes are on Volker Türk and whether he will break his silence on Tibet’s deepening human rights crisis.

Among the most pressing concerns is China’s colonial boarding school system in Tibet, which houses at least one million Tibetan children [1], prompting a coalition of over 140 global Tibet groups and more than 350,000 concerned individuals [2] to call on him to break his silence on the issue and publicly condemn China’s policies targeting Tibetan identity, language, and heritage.

In a joint letter [3] submitted to the UN High Commissioner on 14 February, the coalition denounces these schools as “nothing short of cultural genocide targeting Tibet’s youngest and most vulnerable.” The letter calls on Türk to amplify the growing international alarm, echoing calls from UN human rights experts for the immediate abolition of these coercive institutions. [4]

The urgency of this appeal is underscored by the recent Freedom House report [5], which ranks Tibet with a global freedom score of zero, making it among the top “least free” in the world. This dire assessment places Tibet just marginally better than that of Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, highlighting the severity of repression faced by Tibetans.

Since Turk assumed office in 2022, the human rights situation in Tibet has deteriorated at an alarming rate. Under the guise of “development” and “education,” the Chinese government has implemented policies designed to systematically erode Tibetan identity, language, and culture. Among the most egregious of these is the vast network of colonial-style residential boarding schools, where at least one million Tibetan children are forcibly separated from their families and placed into state-run facilities where they are forbidden from speaking their native language and subjected to political indoctrination. This is nothing short of a cultural genocide targeting Tibet’s youngest and most vulnerable.

Former Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes raised serious concern about the one million children in China’s forced boarding schools. Speaking to Deutsche Welle, he said, “they are torn from their environment, their family, they are put in schools and villages far away from their home, their language, culture and religion….I don’t think so many children have ever been kept away from their community, their people before.” [6]

The call on the High Commissioner is backed by the global activist group AVAAZ and their supporters.

The 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council opened on 24 February 2025, and Volker Türk is expected to give his ‘Global Update’ to the plenary on 3 March. Tibet Advocacy Coalition calls on him to end his silence and take a stand for Tibetan children’s rights.

Quotes from Tibet Advocacy Coalition Representatives:
Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director, Tibet Action Institute: “As the world’s highest human rights official, Volker Türk must use every tool in his diplomatic toolbox to get China to abolish its coercive boarding school policy that has separated three out of every four Tibetan students from their families. Turk needs to break his silence and issue a clear and public call for Chinese authorities to shutter these indoctrination schools and halt their egregious crimes against Tibetan children.”

Gloria Montgomery, UN Advocacy Director, Tibet Justice Center: “The silence of the UN High Commissioner on Tibet is an abdication of moral responsibility. Tibetan children deserve the High Commissioner’s vocal support, and we demand he use his platform to expose the coercive nature of these residential boarding schools in Tibet.”

Karma Gahler, Co-President, Tibetan Youth Association in Europe: “Tibetans deserve justice! The UN must call out the Chinese government’s violations, including the forced separation of children from their families. It is time for the High Commissioner to act.”

Pema Doma, Executive Director, Students for a Free Tibet: “This is a present-day human rights crisis. The UN must act, and its highest human rights official must lead by example. High Commissioner Türk’s failure to take a stand only emboldens Beijing as it continues to close local schools, forces more Tibetan children into residential boarding schools, and tears families apart.”

Mandie McKeown, Executive Director, International Tibet Network: “China’s assault on Tibetan culture and identity, under the guise of ‘development and education’, must not be ignored. We urge High Commissioner Türk to take decisive action and hold China accountable. The future of Tibet cannot wait.”

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