CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2025, 4:00 PM EST
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
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https://campaignforuyghurs.org
CFU Highlights the Struggles of Uyghur Women this Mother’s Day
Washington, D.C. – As we mark Mother’s Day this Sunday, Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) recognizes the love, strength, and sacrifice that mothers bring to their families and communities across the globe. Yet, this occasion also highlights the countless Uyghur mothers in East Turkistan who remain the main target of the Chinese regime’s ongoing genocide.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) oppression in East Turkistan aims to sever the most fundamental human connection – that between mother and child. Official Chinese documents show that between 2017 and 2019, the number of children separated from their families and placed into state-run boarding schools in the region increased by 76.9%, from 497,800 to 880,500. Investigations have also revealed widespread sexual abuses, forced sterilizations and abortion, coerced marriages, and the arbitrary detention of Uyghur women. Mothers like Dr. Gulshan Abbas and Professor Rahile Dawut remain unjustly imprisoned on baseless charges, separated from their families, and endure inhumane treatments. These atrocities are part of a broader effort to erase Uyghur identity, culture, and family life, stripping mothers of their children, dignity, and futures, all while the international community remains silent.
“As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I think of my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and the countless Uyghur mothers who remain unjustly imprisoned, silenced, or separated from their children,” said Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of CFU and author of Unbroken: One Uyghur’s Fight For Freedom. “This day should be one of joy and gratitude, but for many Uyghur families, it is a painful reminder of the Chinese regime’s efforts, as countless sons and daughters are unable to contact their mothers in the Uyghur region to celebrate this occasion. We call on the international community to honor Uyghur mothers by standing against this genocide and holding China accountable.”
On this Mother’s Day, we must recommit ourselves to building a world where every child can embrace their mother without fear, and every mother can nurture her family free from oppression. The international community must stand against the CCP’s Uyghur genocide and speak out for justice and accountability.
CFU’s Executive Director Rushan Abbas’s book, Unbroken: One Uyghur’s Fight for Freedom, has just launched. We encourage you to place your pre-order today, May 11th, on Amazon U.S., as coordinated orders help maximize the book’s visibility and impact.
