Home News Reproductive Rights

TWA's President, Dr. B. Tsering Yeshi, tours North American Colleges Speaking on Violation of Reproductive Rights of Tibetan Women in Tibet

March 26-April 6 2007

Introduction

As our world perpetuates towards homogeneity we are faced with the responsibility to preserve the diversity of human culture. Without our cultures, we are lost in a void that has no recognition of our past history, past knowledge and our customs/traditions become lost into an abyss where little is held sacred.

Women play a significant role in cultural appreciation because women are the keepers of culture. Women around the world typically play the most crucial role in cultural preservation through teaching her children about their cultural legacy, while ensuring their very survival. They preserve culture through their devotion to tradition, both oral and lived. This leads to women's overall understanding of their natural world, medicinal knowledge, environmental damage, and preservation of resources, which all link to a cultural perspective. Tibetan women hold these cultural practices within themselves as living examples of Tibetan culture that have been practiced with a history of over 2,000 years, according to the Tibetan calendar.

The Tibetan culture is under threat by the People's Republic of China (PRC) and since 1959 Tibetans have been experiencing cultural genocide within Tibet. With over 1.2 million Tibetan lives lost since the invasion of Tibet, over 6,000 monasteries destroyed and 125,000 Tibetans living in asylum as a result of the abusive practices imposed by the PRC, it is time to stop further cultural destruction. Since the colonial invasion of Tibet in 1959, numerous human rights violations have been documented against the Tibetan people. Tibetan women are subjected to numerous forms of human rights violations that are gender specific such as: rape, forced sterilization, forced abortions, and other forms of sexual violence by PRC policies. These violations inflict cultural genocide upon a nation, threatening a culture’s overall survival.

The topic of cultural preservation is necessary to the global empowerment for women because many women are living survivors of cultural genocide. Through the struggles of the Tibetan women we can recognize the attempts made for cultural preservation by Tibetan women in exile that aim to maintain the distinct Tibetan culture abroad. This issue is important, especially for indigenous women around the world, because it highlights the recognition that Tibetan culture is distinct, Tibetan culture should be preserved, and most importantly that Tibetan culture is under threat of extinction due to outside forces.

In this paper, TWA would like to draw UNHRC's attention on three critical issues within Tibet today due to which Tibetan women are the main victims. They are discriminatory family policy on Tibetan women, rise in the prostitution in Tibet and lack of self-expression of Tibetans in Tibet. By presenting the case of Tibetan women’s struggle against cultural genocide to The United Nations Human Rights Council, TWA hopes that further cultural destruction will cease in the near future and our voices will be heard.

Reproductive Rights Violation

Women face a biological obstacle more severe than that of men in the face of cultural genocide. As women are the bearers of children, there is a need to protect the biological rights to reproduction. According to the United Nations, women have the right to reproductive choice and adequate and safe health care. The UN also supports the fact that couples and individuals have the basic right to decide freely the number and spacing of their children. In the mid-1980s, the Chinese authorities began implementing family planning policies in Tibetan communities. In 1992, the PRC admitted for the first time to the international community that a two-child policy had been implemented in Tibet since 1984.

One of the first ways to demolish a culture is through population control, techniques that have been historically used by any violent means necessary. With the completion of the world’s highest railway line from Gormo to Lhasa, Tibetans are faced with the danger that the demographic structure of Tibet is all set to change dramatically. The change has already begun with the steady influx of large numbers of Chinese people. In fact, Tibetans are officially recognized as a "racial minority" in the PRC. The Chinese dominate all aspects of society in Tibet-commercial, social, and political. It is true that there has been an increase in economic and structural developments inside Tibet in recent years. However, the benefactors of all this development are Chinese settlers and not Tibetans. China’s family planning policies in Tibet is implemented to decrease the number of indigenous births in Tibet, thereby furthering cultural genocide. The Chinese authorities state, "family planning is one of the fundamental official policies of China, but special policies in this regard are applied in minority-populated regions and remote areas."

Decisions about a Tibetan woman’s reproductive future in China are made by a governing body of medical professionals and without any consultation with the woman or her family. There is a birth control office in each district in Tibet responsible for the execution of the policies. Research indicates that up until 1999, child quotas for Tibetans were either two or three children depending on whether Tibetans resided in urban or rural areas respectively. However, the latest evidence suggests that intensified efforts have changed the quotas and in rural areas the number of children now allowed is generally two, while in urban areas it is one.

Family planning practices that have been documented in Tibet include contraception (injections, insertion of cervical "rings", pills), sterilization, abortion, delay of marriage and an enforced waiting period between births. Requiring permits to have a child, monitoring of menstrual cycles and impromptu periodic examinations to determine pregnancy have also been reported. It is found that the surgical procedures of sterilization and abortion are the primary methods of birth control through which family planning policies are implemented. Contraceptive methods generally are not accompanied by adequate education and have even proven to be dangerous because of the low medical standards of manufacture of the contraceptive device and of its insertion. For example, there have been cases where because of lack of hygiene, IUD procedures were followed by infections and in one documented case, a woman became paralyzed. All procedures often take place in 'make shift facilities,' such as the women’s home, with virtually no follow-up care or medication given to the women. There is also no acknowledgment or evidence that painless methods of birth prevention are used in Tibet.

Chinese methods of enforced family planning policies in Tibet have been proven to be coercive. For those who do not comply with official policies, there are penalties in the form of fines, denial of benefits for children born outside of the established birth quota, loss of jobs or reduction of pay, and loss of housing. Women are given the 'option' of paying a fine or terminating a pregnancy. The fines imposed are unreasonable amounts, often the equivalent of more than a month’s wages. For example, fines can reach up to 10,000 yuan (US $1,200) and many women earn no more than 600 yuan (US $72) per month.9 There are records of some cases, especially in rural areas, where the fines are the equivalent of five to eight years’ income. Some women have reported that they were faced with the threat of their husbands being beaten and arrested if they did not comply. The threat of having all of their possessions taken away has also been cited.

It is estimated that between 4%-20% of the Tibetan population inside Tibet is no longer able to reproduce, with thousands more being forced to accept contraception.11 Many Tibetan women do not always know that they have been sterilized or which birth control procedure they have received at the hospital. Consequently, many women are fearful of seeking any medical care at all. There are also no attempts by the Chinese government to educate Tibetan women about birth control or their own reproductive care. Research has shown that when women in a society are educated, the birth rate decreases. If promoting a decrease in birth rate were the true goal of the Chinese government, then Tibetan women would be educated in this regard. However, there is no reference to sex education or contraception education in any of the official documents on the birth control policy in Tibet. There is only evidence of references to abortion and sterilizations.12 This indicates that Chinese birth control policies are an attempt at not controlling the population, but at destroying a culture.

Forcing Tibetan women into having abortions are a widespread method of birth control used by the Chinese government in its implementation of family planning policies. Pregnancies above the permitted quota are terminated, regardless of their stage. Late-term abortions are the most disturbing. Expert investigations reveal that second and third trimester abortions are carried out by injecting a poisonous chemical "levanor, which is unheard of in the western world". Investigations reveal an organized and systematic approach to abortion and sterilization of Tibetan women. For example, one woman reports of a "special abortion and sterilization unit for Tibetan women" in a Lhasa hospital.13 There are also set abortion schedules in hospitals.14 In one reported incident, an "annual round-up" resulted in 200 women from one village being aborted (at the same time) while in their first or second trimester.15 These "blitz" campaigns are evidently conducted regularly in villages throughout Tibet. Abortions are often followed by sterilization operations, without the consent of the women. Again, this creates an intimidating atmosphere for Tibetan women and many simply do not seek out doctors for even general health care needs. This leaves them powerless and isolated in their suffering.

Prostitution

Apart from the gross violation of their human rights by the PRC government, the foreign occupation of Tibet has brought its people several serious problems. Since the Chinese invasion of 1959, Lhasa's population has grown from 30,000 to 200,000. The town has grown in geographical size from less than three square kilometers to over 51 square kilometers today, and the city's traditional Tibetan quarter now occupies less than 5 per cent of the urban area. With these changes, there has been a large-scale introduction of prostitution to Tibet, primarily in the Lhasa area. It is believed that the rise in prostitution is due to the rapid urbanization and economic development of Lhasa, the influx of migrants and the people's increased tolerance of the highly profitable sex trade. The growing tolerance for the sex trade in Lhasa is leading to the further degradation and exploitation of and violence against women. In 1998, it was estimated that over 658 brothels existed on the 18 main streets of Lhasa. By 2005, it has increased to 1,600 brothels. Therefore, China’s claims that prostitution is "under effective control" are unfounded, as the facts point to an uncontrolled expansion of prostitution in Lhasa. On January 1st 2004, Tibet Information Network (TIN) stated that, "Recent reports from Tibet indicate that an increasing number of Tibetan women from rural areas, particularly in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), are working as prostitutes. A TIN report further found that Tibetan prostitutes are as young as 13 or 14, and charged as little as a dollar for sex.18 Studies by international agencies show that there have been social changes in Lhasa and that the "long-term threats to Tibetan identity are implicit in the development of an underclass of unemployed, uneducated citizens prey to alcoholism and other addictions."

By all accounts, China has done little to combat the rising rate of prostitution in Tibet. On the contrary, the economic support from the PRC government to 'settlers' in Tibet has actually benefited the prostitution industry. Chinese businessmen have been given low-interest loans for investment and, consequently, have been able to lease property from government offices and private landowners to use as brothels.

Furthermore, officials who have witnessed prostitution have not attempted to stop it. One 20-year-old Tibetan woman who spent a year working in a bar that also functioned as a brothel stated that: Sometimes the Public Security Bureau come to look. When they come to the door, the person who collects the money presses the button that’s under the desk and it rings upstairs and all the prostitutes leave. They [PSB] didn’t come a lot. When I was in there they came twice and nothing happened. The business can still continue. The Chinese themselves - I’ve got Chinese friends - said that in their hometowns in China such business isn’t allowed. There, the authorities would close down such places within two or three days.

Tibetan women who have escaped into exile have emphasized the fact that the severe birth control violations against them have led to family troubles and their husbands have frequented brothels as a result.22 They have also pointed out that the Tibetan family system is breaking down with the divorce rate and domestic violence increasing. Though these social problems cannot be attributed solely to the increase in prostitution, it can be assumed that the greater tolerance for the sex trade is contributing to the destruction of Tibetan culture.

Lack of Right to Self-expression

Even if a Tibetan woman is educated and chooses to express her opinions, she is again restricted due to the lack fundamental rights to freedom of expression. Woeser is one courageous Tibetan writer that has continued her efforts to express the truth about China's oppressive policies towards Tibetan people through her written word. Woeser has published articles, poetry, and prose in Chinese. She is currently living in the Western Tibetan area of Sichuan (Kham) and is married to the independent Chinese writer, Wang Lixiong. After graduating with a degree in Chinese from the Southwestern Institute for National Minorities, Woeser began her career as a journalist. Woeser writes in Chinese and as a result, this courageous Tibetan woman has become a severe threat to the Chinese government by virtue of her own words.23 Her writing skills are extraordinary, resulting in her first poetry collection, Tibet Above, to win a National Minority Literature Award in 2001. Unfortunately, Woeser's following book was not received with the same praise by the Chinese government. Woeser's book, "Notes on Tibet," was banned in 2004 by China's Central United Front Department and Publications Bureau. The Government of Tibet In Exile released a press release on October 28, 2006 regarding the harsh repercussions that the PRC inflicted upon Woeser stating, "The Human Rights in China in its release said that as a result Woeser lost her job and her work unit, the Tibetan Cultural Association, has evicted her from her home and terminated her health and retirement benefits. She has also been prohibited from applying for a passport to leave the country."

Woeser's life has been further disrupted in August 2006 as she discovered her two blogs were shut down, presumably by the Chinese government. It is believed that Woeser's blogs were considered problematic after she posted a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a poem wishing him a long life. It is unfortunate that China continues to further restrict the information that people living in China have access to all in the name of protecting their illegitimate status in Tibet. Woeser is doubly dangerous by first and foremost for being a Tibetan and secondly for her ability to reach a Chinese audience. Woeser is quoted on Radio Free Asia as saying, "I am making [an] impact on a variety of people... Most of those who surf my blog are of course members of the younger Tibetan generation.....along with intellectuals in Tibet, China, and other foreign countries." Her blog was reported to have hundreds of thousands of hits each day. She has described her love for her culture and Tibetan Buddhism and that by being fired she felt a real sense of freedom, a freedom to write whatever she wanted.

As we continue the discussion about access to information as a right the world’s citizens, we should also condemn those governments that punish citizens and foreigners alike for reporting and expressing their views. Woeser attempts to reach her large online audience are stopped by online censorship imposed by the Chinese government. Restricting people’s access to information is another form of manipulation and control by leaving the masses of people uninformed. By having an uneducated and uninformed population, China will continue to control its citizens by providing false information. The right to free press is a human right that all people should have, free from State manipulation and deception.

References

1. United Nations General Assembly meeting of adoption of the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies, paragraph 156, 1985.
2. As referenced in TIN, Documents on Birth Control, p.27, and Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre, "The Case Concerning Tibet: Tibet’s Sovereignty and the Tibetan People’s Right to Self-Determination", (hereinafter "The Case Concerning Tibet") by International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet (Andrew Dulaney and Dennis Cusack) and Unrepresented Nations and People’s Organization (Michael van Walt van Praag), December 1998, p 73.
3. Ibid, p.73, as footnoted from Information Office of the State Council, Tibet: Its Ownership and Human Rights Situation, (1992), reprinted in China on Its Ownership of and Human Rights in Tibet, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, September 24, 1992.
4. Chinese delegations response to inquiries by CEDAW on February 1, 1999 in New York, p.7. As referenced by TCHRD, 1999 Annual TCHRD Report, p.61.
5. ICLT, et.al., VATW Report, p.11; TIN News Update, February 9, 2000, p.1.
6. Ibid, ICLT,et.al.
7. Ibid.
8. Tsomo, "Family Planning Policies in Tibet", p.78.
9. Ibid, p.12.
10. TWA, Tears of Silence, p.39.
11. Tsomo, "Family Planning Policies in Tibet", p.78.
12. TIN, "Birth Control and Population Transfer in Tibet", as published by TCHRD, p.26.
13. TIN, "Birth Control and Population Transfer in Tibet", presented by Kate Saunders at South East Asia Human Rights NGO Seminar on Tibet, June 17-20, 1998, Dharamsala, INDIA. Seminar presentations published by TCHRD under same title, p. 24. (hereinafter TIN, "Birth Control and Population Transfer in Tibet", as published by TCHRD).
14. TIN, "Birth Control and Population Transfer in Tibet", as published by TCHRD, p.26.
15. Ibid.
16. All Statistics taken from TIN, "Social Evils: Prostitution and pornography in Lhasa" (hereafter "Social Evils"), TIN, London, 1999, p.1.
17. As referenced in TCHRD, 1999 Annual TCHRD Report,p.88
18. TIN, "Social Evils", p.1
19. TIN "Social Evils", p.6
20. TIN, "Social Evils", p.5-6
21. ICLT,et.al., VATW Report, p.18
22. Tibetan Government In-Exile. Press Release: CTA concerned by Tibetan writer's fate in Tibet.
23. 29 Oct. 2004. < http://www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/tibwriter1.htm>
24. ICLT, et.al., VATW Report, p.18.