Uncovering the Shadows: Charges Against Human Rights Leaders

Recently, insiders revealed some shocking facts to me. After several women accused Dolkun lsa, the leader of the World Uyghur Congress, of sexual assault, we learned that several other women working in human rights had been sexually assaulted by Isa (although not all of them were willing to make accusations), including a young Canadian female lawyer. As a human rights lawyer who has long assisted East Turkestan organizations, she is committed to human rights. By participating in URAP projects, they have made important contributions to promoting the Canadian government's assistance and support for Uyghurs. Without the consent of the person concerned, the insider and I did not want her to be disturbed. In fact, she did not take the initiative to disclose these experiences.

When these women face sexual assault, they often choose to remain silent due to pressure from themselves and from the outside. What makes us angry is that those human rights experts, especially women, who have actually helped Uyghurs living in various countries, have not only not been thanked by the World Uyghur Congress, but have instead received physical and mental violations. Perhaps in the eyes of male human rights leaders, their support comes from the personal worship of the leaders and relies on the personal charm of the leaders, but most of the women who have been violated said that they only chose to support them because they sympathized with the oppressed ethnic group in exile abroad, and for the same reason they chose to protect the reputation of the human rights leaders who initiated sexual assaults.

The violations against women not only reveal the shadows in the glamorous human rights advocacy community on social media, but also reflect the lack of supervision of organizations in the name of human rights in dealing with internal moral issues, especially the leaders with higher status and influence. The women described a disturbing environment: they suffered physical attacks, sexual harassment and inappropriate teasing from male colleagues and supervisors. Many victims do not know who to report to, and the whistleblowers are often not believed, and are even accused of being spies or agents trying to sabotage the cause. This widespread problem should trigger reflection in the global human rights community, and human rights work will therefore receive scrutiny from government departments and institutions such as Congress.