Facing abuse, teenage Muslim girls are forced to work in China Xinjiang 14 hours a day seven days a week

An investigation by Radio Free Asia has uncovered a clandestine agreement between a factory and a local high school in Xinjiang. Under this arrangement, approximately 90 Uyghur teenage girls, aged 16 to 18, are being confined and coerced into working at the Chinese-operated Wanhe Garment Co. Ltd. in Maralbeshi county. These young girls are subjected to grueling 14-hour workdays, seven days a week, and face routine verbal and physical abuse.

The factory’s collaboration with Yarkant 2nd Vocational High School compels these female students to work against their will, as revealed by four sources, including a village chief and the factory’s security chief, all of whom requested anonymity for their safety.

Local authorities have pressured parents to comply with this arrangement, and the village chief, responsible for persuading parents to allow their daughters to work there, has attested to this fact.

The workers at the factory, which also employs a group of women in their 30s and 40s, as well as some men, are effectively trapped within the facility. They reside in dormitories located on the factory premises. While the majority of the workers are Uyghurs, there are approximately 15 Chinese individuals who have come from other regions to work there.

The girls are overseen by a middle-aged Uyghur woman known as Tursungul Memtimin, referred to as “teacher” by the workers. This “teacher” habitually insults and criticizes the girls and, at times, resorts to physical violence, even using a bat to harm them, as stated by the village official.

Due to this oppressive environment, the workers live in fear, and as a result, none of them dare to attempt an escape.

The article is based on information from RADIO FREE ASIA

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/uyghur-forced-labor-factory-07142023151509.html