International Day For Eliminating Violence Against Women, 25th November, 2002
It is a truism that women's rights are an inseparable part of universal human rights. This became amply clear when the world's highest representative body, the UNO — back in 1991 — proclaimed November 25 as the International Day For Eliminating Violence Against Women. Recognising the violence against women as a serious global concern, the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) attaches great importance and regard to this day. We take this opportunity to draw the attention of the international community as well as the United Nation Commission for Human Rights (UNCHR) to those brave Tibetan women inside Tibet who are the victims of inhuman torture and brutal forms of violence at the hands of the Chinese authorities.
In blatant disregard to the international and humanitarian laws and treaties, China is repeatedly perpetrating gender-specific violences and implementing discriminatory laws in the name of progress and development. Stringent and discriminatory legislations are passed and executed by the State itself, targeting Tibetan women in particular. Coercive family planning measures — notably contraception, forced sterilization, abortion, requiring permits to have a child and monitoring of menstrual cycles — have been in practice for decades with full legal and logistic support from the State. These measures have harmful repercussions on the already dwindling population inside Tibet. In a way, it is an act of genocide.
China ratified the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel or Degrading Punishment in 1988, but continues to inflict inhuman torture upon women political prisoners. The prisoners are detained for peacefully expressing their religious, political or ethnic views. They are unjustly detained and dehumanized and enjoy no right to counsel, in addition to gruesome torture, they are subject to invasive interrogations and are held indeterminately. They are number of women deaths both in custody and after the release as a direct result of torture.
The recent flexibility shown by China in releasing high-profile Tibetan political prisoners is nothing but a propaganda exercise aimed to whitewash its reputation. Ngawang Sangdrol — a high-profile Tibetan nun prisoner recently released on medical parole — is in poor health without any proper medical facilities despite the fact that she was diagnosed with multiple diseases. It is a Chinese long0-standing strategy of releasing prisoners whose health condition is critical and beyond recovery. This tactics of late release of critically ill prisoners usually on medical parole is to shun responsibility for their deaths and to avoid criticism against denial of effective medical care on time.
China has on various occasions paid mere lip service
to issues concerning rights, democracy and freedom. Their actions
always contradicts the beautiful words they speak to mislead the
world community. This explains why Tibetan women in Tibet still
face discrimination in health care, educational benefits and employment,
thus forcing many innocent Tibetan women to resort
to prostitution as a means of livelihood. All these measures by
China is a carefully calculated design to marginalise and deprive
the Tibetan women of what is rightfully theirs.
China must comply with international and humanitarian laws; put a stop to reproductive rights violations; gender based discriminations and torture; and make appropriate effort to discourage prostitution which is a social disease.
We strongly urge the United Nation Organisation (UNO) and International Community to pressurise Chinese government and make realise the wisdom in protecting women's rights, put immediate halt to the repressive measures and gender-specific violence and torture.