Invasive Homestay
In addition to the mass surveillance and firm attempt by the Chinese Communist Party at assimilation, Uyghurs cannot catch a break even inside their own homes. The government put forth a “homestay” program which evolved from Chinese officials regularly visiting and monitoring Uyghurs since 2014 [1]. In December 2017, the CCP expanded the “Becoming Family” campaign and mobilized more than a million Chinese officials to live in the homes of Uyghur families in East Turkistan, particularly in more rural areas [2].
Different sources state that the officials are to stay in Uyghur homes from a week every two months up to two weeks per month. They are also to visit the families during holidays and special events such as birthdays, weddings and funerals. Displaying signs of resistance can make the family members become “suspect” which may land them in concentration camps or even prisons. Consequently, the Uyghur host families do not have the option to refuse the visits.
The officials are to inspect the homes for religious elements and confiscate them if such items are found. Moreover, the families are required to provide detailed information about their personal lives and political views to the cadres during the stay. They are also subjected to political indoctrination by the live-in cadres in which they are to learn Mandarin Chinese, sing the national anthem and songs praising the Party and participate in a weekly flag-raising ceremony. If the officials report any “problems”, they have the freedom to act and “rectify” the situation [3]. Photos taken by the officials show their involvement in the intimate aspects of the Uyghur families' lives like doing chores, making beds, sharing meals, tutoring the children, sleeping together and so on. Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, says that these photos put on full display the “forced intimacy” of the program [4]. She tells CNN, "What can be more intrusive than forcing your way into somebody's home, making them host you while conducting surveillance on them and saying you're bringing benefits to them? It's the ultimate form of surveillance -- it's a forced political indoctrination and assimilation program. It's both creepy and perverse" [5].
Some Chinese officials bring cigarettes, alcohol and pork to their Muslim host families who in return feel obliged to partake in acts that are against their religion in fear of consequences if they show resistance. It is also not uncommon for male Han Chinese cadres to sleep alongside the women in the house whose husband or father are most likely in a concentration camp or prison. This often results in sexual harassment and rape of the Uyghur women. The journal Irish Times states that there is a “video clip of a man introducing his ‘new family’ and boasting about how he was going to have sex with the 18-year-old Uighur girl” [6]. World Uyghur Congress president, Dolkun Isa, says that the government implanted program is actually doing more harm to ethnic relations between the Uyghurs and Han Chinese than promoting harmony. He tells Radio-Free Asia that “it’s not just a simple invasion of privacy, but the total annihilation of the safety, security and well-being of family members” [7].
References
[1] Jiang, S. (2018, May 14). Chinese Uyghurs forced to welcome Communist Party into their homes. Retrieved from: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/asia/china-xinjiang-home-stays-intl/index.html
[2] Lipes, J. (2018, May 14) Xinjiang Authorities Regularly Impose ‘Home Stays’ on Muslim Uyghur Families: Rights Group. Retrieved from: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/homestays-05142018153305.html
[3] Ibid
[4] Jiang, S. (2018, May 14). Chinese Uyghurs forced to welcome Communist Party into their homes. Retrieved from: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/asia/china-xinjiang-home-stays-intl/index.html
[5] Ibid
[6] Goff, P. (2019, December 17). ‘Become family’: China sends officials to stay with Xinjiang minorities. Retrieved from: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/become-family-china-sends-officials-to-stay-with-xinjiang-minorities-1.4118327
[7] Lipes, J. (2018, May 14) Xinjiang Authorities Regularly Impose ‘Home Stays’ on Muslim Uyghur Families: Rights Group. Retrieved from: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/homestays-05142018153305.html