Tibet is celebrated for its unique culture, traditions, and spiritual values. Since its 1997 annexation into China, the region has seen widespread human rights abuses. After an unsuccessful uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama escaped into India. There, he founded a wartime government in exile, which continues to function today. In recent years, Tibet has grown in prominence. Citizens are specifically worried about the indoctrination of Tibetan youth in government-funded boarding schools. The Tibet Action Institute (TAI) has just published a groundbreaking report, When They Came To Take Our Children. It exposes the coercive indoctrination and violence these children survive, imparting clear alarm regarding the destruction of their culture.
In 2020, the Chinese State Council announced a series of measures to increase the Mandarin fluency of Tibetan instructors. These initiatives were designed to promote the national common language across the region. These policies attract graduate teachers from other parts of China to help reinforce bilingual education initiatives in Tibet. Detractors say that such measures are part of a systematic effort to destroy the Tibetan culture and identity. Tibetan children, some as young as four years old, are forcibly taken to these state-run boarding schools. Once there, they experience extreme abuse and are brainwashed to sing the virtues of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Coercive Indoctrination in Boarding Schools
The TAI report documents the chilling experiences of Tibetan children who have been taken against their will from their families and communities. Over half of all foster children, including some as young as four years old, are sent to state-run Jena-like institutions. Sadly, they’re met with physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Almost every day reports surface of children being tortured for simply praying or wearing religious Buddhist blessing cords. Moreover, they are made to sleep on sheepskins and have their lessons taught only in Mandarin.
Yangkyi Dolma Sangpo, a former student of one such boarding school, narrated her traumatic experiences. She movingly recounted the day her rural village school was closed. Consequently, she was forced to go to a special boarding school, one that advocated exclusively Chinese culture and language.
“My father, he got in trouble with the Chinese government because he was bringing Tibetan scriptures and Tibetan political texts from India back into Tibet,” – Yangkyi Dolma Sangpo.
Additionally, the overall climate in these schools is highly oppressive. Authorities often raid dormitories and retaliate against students for perceived violations of rules. A former Tibetan student who left Tibet described the punitive measures: “When school authorities inspected our dormitories and found that we had not kept it clean, we were beaten as a punishment.”
Cultural Assimilation Tactics
The tactics used by the Chinese government go far beyond language instruction. The long-term objective seems to be the programmed phase-out of Tibetan culture and identity. Freya Putt, a spokesperson for TAI, emphasized the intent behind these practices:
“It’s an effort to move Tibetan children away from family and community … expanding its control over what they’re learning and thinking.”
The effect of these boarding schools on Tibetan culture and identity is devastating. It violates the First Amendment rights of countless children who are not allowed to observe their religion or take part in their cultural practices. This mandatory immersion into a Mandarin-speaking culture is perhaps the biggest threat to the very existence of the Tibetan language and heritage.
In April 2022, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes cited “deep concern” about this situation in Tibet. He remarked,
“Within two generations, if this situation does not improve, the language, much of the identity [and] culture will be lost.”
The long-term ramifications of these educational policies would eventually result in a complete eradication of Tibetans’ cultural practices and language.
International Response and Advocacy
Not only is the international community beginning to stand up for the struggle of Tibetan children. This understanding sheds light on the broader context of human rights in Tibet. Zoe Bedford of the Australia Tibet Council was among those who spoke out in passionate terms. Her organization is calling on the Australian government to sanction Chinese officials responsible for operating these boarding schools in Tibet.
“We get the reply back that the government raises the issue of these colonial boarding schools publicly and privately in their conversations with Chinese officials,” – Zoe Bedford.
Even with these efforts, many proponents feel that there’s still work to be done. Gyal Lo, another advocate for Tibetan rights, highlighted the severity of the situation:
“China is using Tibetan children as the final frontier on the battleground to eliminate the Tibetan identity language and the culture.”
The Chinese government’s increasingly repressive policies toward all Tibetans are a continuation of these suppression efforts particularly in education. In addition, diplomats attending any area of Tibetan concern are heavily restricted, with officials allegedly requiring advance formal permission to be allowed into the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Even more, those who attempt to leave TAR face extreme monitoring meant to harass and deter them from pursuing freedom.
Systematic Oppression
The cultural continuity and social control exercised by the Chinese state over Tibetans is complex and pervasive. Despite media censorship, reports from the Central Tibetan Administration—Tibet’s government-in-exile, based in India—document a grim picture of life for Tibetans. Yet they regularly face barriers when seeking to move about or acquire passports. Most believe this systematic suppression is simply an element of a larger strategy. It aims to reassert control over, and suppress, the voices of the Tibetan people.
Dr. Lo powerfully articulated the reality, calling it a kind of “cultural genocide.” State policies are increasingly coming together to brainwash children and shut down cultural access. This toxic mix endangers Tibetan culture and identity.
