Chinese officials have recently confirmed that there has been a birth rate drop in Xinjiang following allegations that the government was forcing Uyghur Muslim women within the region to take birth control or undergo sterilization procedures. The birth rate dropped by almost a third in 2018 when compared to the previous year. However, Chinese authorities have denied all allegations of forced sterilization and genocide. The documented campaign against the Uyghur Muslim minority population gained traction in the news cycle and drew attention from several global human rights organizations.
In July, CNN published an article documenting the abuse campaign by China targeting the minority women, who belong to a larger group of more than 10 million Uyghur minorities. Alongside claims of mass sterilization, up to 2 million Uyghurs and other Chinese ethnic minorities were reportedly placed in mass detention centers, according to the US State Department, where they were subject to abuse and indoctrination. China has claimed that the detention centers offer vocational training as part of a de-radicalization program that is voluntary.
Read More: Xinjiang government confirms huge birth rate drop but denies forced sterilization of women