European Parliament 2019-2024 TEXTS ADOPTED P9_TA(2023)0479 The abduction of Tibetan children and forced assimilation practices through Chinese boarding schools in Tibet European Parliament resolution of 14 December 2023 on the abduction of Tibetan children and forced assimilation practices through Chinese boarding schools in Tibet (2023/3025(RSP)) The European Parliament, – having regard to its previous resolutions on China and Tibet, – having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, – having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure, A. whereas, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Government has become systematically and ever more oppressive; whereas the human rights situation in Tibet continues to degrade; whereas respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law should be at the centre of the EU’s relations with China; B. whereas Chinese authorities have established an expansive system of de facto compulsory, highly politicised boarding schools for children aged 4 to 18, requiring them to undergo mandatory education in Mandarin without any opportunity for substantive study of the Tibetan language, history or culture; whereas approximately 80 % of Tibetan children, totalling around one million, have been separated from their families by this system, which aims to forcibly assimilate them culturally, religiously and linguistically into the Han majority; whereas there are almost no private alternatives to these government schools, which are reportedly heavily surveilled; C. whereas UN experts are concerned that Tibetan children are thus suffering from severe psychological and emotional distress, including loneliness and isolation, and are losing the ability to communicate easily in their native language with their families, contributing to the erosion of their individual and social identity, which violates international human rights and may amount to genocide; 1. Strongly condemns the repressive assimilation policies throughout China, especially the boarding school system in Tibet, that seek to eliminate the distinct linguistic, cultural and religious traditions among Tibetans and other minorities, such as Uyghurs;