The Uyghur & Human Hair
The Uyghurs (We-ger) are a Turkic ethnic minority located in the eastern region of Xinjiang, China. There are actually 55 different ethnic groups in China, with Han being the largest and most common. The Uyghurs are one of many ethnic minority groups among others like the Mongols, Tibetans, and so on. The Uygur and other Muslim minority groups occupy the majority of Xinjiang, although the Uyghurs remain the largest of the groups. Xinjiang is one of five autonomous regions in China, meaning they’re allowed to have their own local government and exercise more legislative rights.
What do the Uyghur have to do with Human Hair?
I asked the same question until I began researching exactly where human hair came from. I found out that most of the human hair in circulation today actually comes from India or China. This may seems surprising, especially considering how popular Brazilian hair is in the media. The truth is, countries like Brazil, Peru, and Malaysia aren’t actually supplying their own hair. While there are people in rural communities selling their hair for profit, this simply is not enough to meet the demand worldwide. Hair distributors in Brazil actually look elsewhere for their supply. In India, thousands and thousands of people line up to get their head shaved every year. Why? The Hindu people donate their hair to their gods and goddesses as a symbol of devotion and hope for favor. This is a practice called tonsuring. Thousands of women and men engage in tonsuring ceremonies in the Hindu temples annually. The temples then host auctions selling the hair as a way to sustain their temples. Hair distributors from all over the world bid in these auctions, including distributors in Brazil! The human hair industry is largely unregulated so there is no one to check the validity of hair suppliers claiming one thing or another. Claims of origin and quality can not always be upheld. As mentioned before, the largest portion of human hair comes from China, though this fact is unadvertised due to stigmas associated with Chinese products.
As we know, an unregulated industry provides room for exploitation, including forced labor. Recently, 13 tons of human hair was seized by the US border patrol for suspicion of just that fact. The hair was coming from Xinjiang, China where as we mentioned before the Uyghur, a Turkish Muslim minority abides. What does one have to do with the other?
See in recent years the Chinese government has begun to build internment camps for those dubbed suspicious in Xinjiang. Suspicious, unfortunately has come to be synonymous with the Uyghur and any minority like them.
Zumrat Duwat’s account is just one of many accounts confirming unethical treatment within the camps. These camps operate under the guise of, “re-education” or “vocational education and training” centers, but what actually happens inside these “centers” is far from innocent. On the surface, the camps appear to be a tool to equip the minorities with more information about China in the form of Chinese language and culture lessons. Dig a little deeper and you see the beginning of ethnic cleansing.
“I think the purpose [of the classes] was to destroy our religion and to assimilate us…They said that you could not go to Friday prayers… You must not thank Allah; you must thank Xi Jinping (the president) for everything” – former detainee in Xinjiang (Amnesty International)
The Uyghur have always been of interest to the Chinese government. While there have been violent attacks from the minority group in this area, the Chinese government* has been no stranger to injustice either. A significant turning point in Uyghur and Han relations began in 2009, when a clash between the Uyghur minority and Han ethnic majority resulted in over a hundred deaths and thousands of injuries. Discrimination escalated even more over the past few years with the launch of China’s “Strike Hard Campaign against Violent Terrorism” in 2014.
In 2017, according to official statistics, arrests in Xinjiang accounted for nearly 21 percent of all arrests in China, despite people in Xinjiang making up only 1.5 percent of the total population.
In 2019, the Karakax Documents were leaked. The Karakax Documents were records the Chinese government had been keeping of the minorities in Xinjiang through mass surveillance. According to the Karakax documents, people were detained for things like wearing veils, knowing people who wore veils, attending weekly meetings, and praying after a meal. Inside the camps, the government’s intention to erase their cultural and religious identity is made clear with chants like ”wash the brain, cleanse the heart”. Aside from religious prejudices, more people were detained for holding unused passports, or having one too many kids. Reports of torture, rape, sterilization, and further abuse have been carried on the backs of those who’ve left the camps. The Chinese government has even sought out asylum seekers who fled to other countries. Many were forced to return, but when they returned many had “disappeared”. When inquiries of their whereabouts were sought, the guards deny that these people were ever detained.
Google Earth Pro, Planet Labs via CNN — Black Gold (listed in sources)
In the picture above, you see Hetian Haolin Accessories Co. conveniently popping up right beside these internment camps within Xianjiang. While hair companies are evaluating their supply chains and cutting contracts with anyone connected to Xianjiang or Hetian Haolin, countries all around the world have been putting their heads together to find a solution to the human rights violations in Xinjiang.
Transparency in Global Businesses Around the World
This truth has stimulated global activity within a myriad of companies around the world. Supply chain studies have resulted in many contract terminations to cut ties to forced labor in Xinjiang. We saw earlier how the injustices in Xinjiang have slyly wrapped themselves into the human hair industry; the same process is being played out among electronic and clothing companies across the world. Many of the global giants have found themselves in thorough investigations regarding any connection to oppression of the Uyghur.
Big companies like Apple, Coca Cola, and Nike came under fire, by a Chinese dissenter and cartoonist, Badiucao, for lobbying against the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The act, passed in September of 2020, required US companies to make sure that they were not using any form of forced labor from the region of Xinjiang. Apple, like many other companies have denied claims of forced labor in their supply chain.
Images from @badiucao - Twitter.com
Xinjiang is also a leading supplier of cotton, so with the allegations came investigations into the world’s largest clothing companies. In France, an investigation was launched into UNIQLO, Zara, Skechers, and SMCP, concerning the suppliers they obtained their cotton from. According to the New York Times, “Roughly one in five cotton garments sold globally contains cotton or yarn from Xinjiang”, making it a serious issue for many fashion retailors around the world.
The shadow of injustice in Xinjiang has reached across continental borders and oceans. Xinjiang is still a serious issue today, and we need to shine as much light in the dark as we can.
Thumbnail Photo x Ozan Kose
Resources — Take Action
Sources — Recommended Reading
Black Gold: How Global Demand for hair products is linked to forced labor in Xianjiang
13-ton shipment of human hair, likely from Chinese prisoners, seized (CNN)
Additional Sources
More Evidence of China’s Horrific Abuses in Xinjiang
Xinjiang footage sheds new light on Uyghur detention camps
Former Xinjiang teacher claims brainwashing and abuse inside mass detention centers
Transparent Technology
From Cotton to IPhones: Xinjiang labor casts shadow over electronics
Campaign for Accountability: Files Complaint over forced labor in Apple’s Supply Chain
Amnesty International: Closed Campaign to Free Detainees
*It is important to highlight that the actions of the Chinese government do not reflect the sentiments of the citizens of China. I share this to create awareness, not to confirm any bias against China or its culture. This blog is a celebration of culture and justice.
