Tibet Action Institute’s second report shows evidence of the devastating treatment Tibetan children face in China’s colonial boarding school system: neglect, emotional abuse, and deep psychological trauma.
“’When They Came to Take Our Children’: China’s Colonial Boarding Schools and the Future of Tibet” draws on rare firsthand accounts from inside Tibet and recent exiles confirming the widespread harm and forced assimilation inflicted on children as young as four—and calls for urgent international action to stop it.
In 2021, Tibet Action Institute released a groundbreaking report that brought Tibet back into global focus by exposing China’s vast system of colonial boarding schools. For the first time, the world learned that nearly a million Tibetan children were being separated from their families and subjected to forced assimilation. This report sparked international outrage and action—from UN experts to world governments—marking a turning point in the global movement to protect Tibetan children.
Explore key moments in the timeline below..
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– Antony J. Blinken
U.S. Secretary of State
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A groundbreaking exposé in the New York Times paints a disturbing picture of the severe mental, emotional, and physical harms being inflicted on an entire generation of Tibetan children in China’s colonial boarding schools.
Click for more International coverage on boarding schools in Tibet
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Estonia Speaks Out!
Estonian parliament calls for the immediate abolition of colonial boarding schools in Tibet.
UN Expert Condemns Colonial Boarding Schools
UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Nicolas Levrat, issues report suggesting China’s policies targeting Tibetan language and identity are form of genocide, citing the boarding school system in Tibet as an example.
New Report Released
Tibet Action Institute publishes When They Came to Take Our Children, exposing new evidence of neglect and abuse.
NYT Multimedia Investigation
Front-page NYT story reveals mistreatment and indoctrination of Tibetan children with photos and visual analysis.
UNGA Joint Statement
15 countries condemn China’s separation of Tibetan children and erosion of rights.
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The Economist Podcast Feature
Tibet Action’s experts featured discussing China’s identity-erasure strategy through boarding schools.
BBC Investigation Airs
BBC World Service documents life inside China’s boarding schools in Tibet.
UN Member States Condemn System
8 countries specifically call for abolition of colonial boarding schools during China’s UPR.
EU Parliament Takes Stand
European Parliament demands end to China’s coercive school system in Tibet.
NYT Essay by Dr. Gyal Lo
Essay details the scale and impact of China’s boarding school system.
US Sanctions Chinese Officials
Secretary Blinken announces visa bans tied to forced assimilation of Tibetan children.
Canada Urges Sanctions
House of Commons Committee calls for action against China’s residential schools.
UN Women’s Committee Condemns Schools
Calls for abolition and access to Tibetan language education for girls.
France Voices Concern
French Foreign Ministry highlights threat to cultural transmission in Tibetan preschools.
Switzerland Urges Abolition
Swiss government calls on China to shut down colonial boarding schools.
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UN Committee Calls for Immediate End
Strong rebuke from UN over coercive school policies in Tibet.
UN Experts Alert Media
UN warns 1 million Tibetan children are forcibly separated from families. Gains global media coverage.
Dr. Gyal Lo Confirms Preschool Abuse
Education expert reveals at least 100,000 children in mandatory boarding preschools.
UK First to Speak Out at UN
UK denounces China’s colonial school system during UN Human Rights Council session.
Lhadon Tethong’s full testimony during Second U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing.
Sophie Richardson testifies during the Canadian Parliament hearing on Colonial Boarding Schools in Tibet.
Lhadon Tethong, Dr. Gyal Lo and Chemi Lhamo shared testimonies during Canadian House of Commons
BBC Coverage on China’s Colonial Boarding School in Tibet
How China forces parents to send their children to colonial boarding schools in Tibet
How similar are colonial boarding schools to residential school systems in Canada and the United States?
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In September, a shocking video from Tibet showed 3 teenage boys crying on the side of the road following their escape from one of China’s colonial boarding schools. In it, they say the school is like a “prison” where they endured an “unbearable” life of beatings and abuse. Another video posted online around the same time showed a young boy desperately resisting being violently forced into a car by two unidentified men.
These children are actually monks from Muge Monastery in Ngaba. In June, Chinese authorities forced all 140 students to leave the monastery school and coerced their parents to them in nearby state-run boarding schools.
This disturbing footage is undeniable evidence of the serious abuse and mistreatment of Tibetan children in China’s colonial boarding school system in Tibet.
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