US official says United Nations has a ‘lack of curiosity’ about reported abuses in China’s Xinjiang region
- US ambassador-at-large on women’s issues says practices in China show a ‘pervasive pattern of targeting women’ in Muslim minority groups
- American accuses UN of failing to speak out about the situation in Xinjiang and failing to demand access to investigate
Citing reports of forced birth control, home visits and sexual violence in detention centres, ambassador-at-large on women’s issues Kelley Currie said such practices showed a “pervasive pattern of targeting women”.
“It’s really remarkable to me as someone who used to work at the UN the complete lack of curiosity or concern we see from the UN on what are really grave allegations and very widespread and quite disturbing human rights abuses,” said Currie, who also serves as the US representative at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
The UN is “failing to speak out about the situation in Xinjiang, failing to demand access in a meaningful way and to investigate these very serious and credible allegations”, Currie told reporters on a media call.
The Trump administration withdrew the US from the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, citing what it said was a bias against Israel and the human rights track records of member countries.
China was re-elected to the council this month in a move condemned by major democratic nations and human rights groups.
