Genocide Awareness Month Is Over; Genocide Is Not

April has come and gone but the scourge of genocide persists

While the world’s eyes seemed trained on what is happening in Gaza, that is not the only genocide happening right now. The good news is that there are things we all can do to put an end to what Samantha Powers calls, a “problem from hell.”

The Uyghurs in China face genocide.

People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui, are currently the target of the most extensive organized detention of an ethnoreligious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been kidnapped and put in camps. Detainees are forced to work under constant surveillance, with assigned minders and no freedom to leave. Their forced labor contributes to the production of goods for numerous multinationals. You may not realize it but you probably have products that were made by Uyghur slave labor. The Chinese government treats the Uyghur minority as being less than human.

What can you do?

1. Don’t buy Shein products. Their ads are everywhere and the products look great. These fast fashion items are made from cotton processed by the Uyghurs. Sign this petition to Shein to let them know #ForcedLabourFashion is not cool with you.
2. Don’t buy from Volkswagen. It is the largest car company on earth. There is no reason it should have to rely on slave labor but it does. In its report “Driving Force,” Sheffield Hallam University exposes the global auto industry’s complicity in the exploitation of millions of Uyghurs in China. Uyghur labor produces just about every car part you can imagine. Tires, windows, the frame, axles, interiors, electronics, and even the hood decal are all made by forced labor. Sign this petition to VW.
3. Avoid Urban Outfitters. American retailer Urban Outfitters, like almost all companies, claims to prohibit forced labor in its supply chains, yet offers no credible explanation as to how it can do this considering its links to a region where all goods are likely to be tainted by forced labor. By continuing to operate in and maintain links to the region, fashion brands like these are complicit in what many have widely recognized as crimes against humanity. Tell them you agree by signing this petition.
4. Avoid Anta Sports. Anta Sports is the largest Chinese manufacturer of sports clothing and gear. In addition to what it sells under its own brand name, the company owns 25 international brands including FILA, Wilson, Salomon, and Descente. Anta Sports is also the official supplier to the International Olympic Committee. It is nearly impossible to play a sport and not buy something that benefits the multinational giant. Headquartered in Xingjiang, China, Anta Sports’ supply chain is full of products that were processed by Uyghur labor. This needs to stop. Anta Sports has the power to make life better for millions of people in China. Tell them human rights matter by signing this petition.

Putting pressure on companies to stop supporting slave labor is great but there is more we all can do. We can contact our elected officials.

If you live in the United States, let Congress know this issue matters to you. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives launched a bipartisan Congressional Uyghur Caucus. Contact your Member of Congress and ask them to join this important caucus. You can call them at 202–225–3121 or email me to get more information on how to reach your Congressperson and their staff.

There are also some bills you can support.

1. Tell Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act (H.R.4840)! Introduced by U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Carlos A. Giménez (R-FL), the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act (H.R.4840) requires publicly traded companies to be transparent and divulge any ties to Uyghur forced labor. It would allow both consumers and shareholders to make more informed decisions as they spend and invest their money. Contact your Member of Congress here.
2. Tell Congress to pass the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630 and S.1080). This bipartisan bill was introduced in the House by Representatives by Ted Deutch (D), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), Jennifer Wexton (D), and Chris Smith (R), and in the Senate by Senators Chris Coons (D), Marco Rubio (R), Jeff Merkley (D), and Thom Tillis (R). This bill designates Uyghurs as prioritized refugees of special humanitarian concern, making them eligible for Priority Two (P-2) processing under the refugee resettlement priority system. The P-2 designation enables refugees to access the U.S. refugee program without a referral from the UN High Commission for Refugees, an embassy, or an NGO. Examples include Iraqis associated with the United States and certain religious refugees from the former Soviet Union. Tell your Senators and Members of Congress to support this by going here.
3. Tell your Members of Congress to support the Uyghur Policy Act. It has already passed the House so we need the Senate to act. This bill addresses human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and other persecuted minority groups in China, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Tell your Senators to support this bill here.

Are you in Canada? Tell Your Senators: Support The Xinjiang Manufactured Goods Importation Prohibition Act (S-204). This bill in the Parliament of Canada amends the Customs Tariff to prohibit the importation of goods made in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by forced labor. Reach out to your Senators by going here.

Myanmar remains controlled by a brutal military junta.

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military took over the government, arrested the democratically elected leaders, and plunged the nation into a brutal dictatorship. Thousands of peaceful protesters have been killed or arrested. There has been some good news. The resistance is gaining steam as the junta loses it. Through the actions of committed, thoughtful people, Harry Winston stopped selling #GenocideGems that fund the military. The same pressure has made Chevron leave the nation. The Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) is another way the military funds its crimes against humanity.

1. Demand that ExxonMobil stop selling jet fuel to the Myanmar military. ExxonMobil sells jet fuel to the Myanmar military who is using its air force to indiscriminately bomb civilians. According to Amnesty International, the oil company is linked to a vessel that onloaded fuel at ExxonMobil’s berth in Singapore and transported the fuel to Myanmar. Dozens of people have been killed. Homes, schools, hospitals and churches have been damaged or destroyed. The majority of the estimated 700,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes since the military coup last year have fled because of airstrikes or the threat of airstrikes. Tell ExxonMobile to stop this practice here.
2. Tell the Telenor Group & The Norwegian Government to immediately stop the sale of Telenor Myanmar to military-linked Investcom. Norwegian Telenor is planning to sell Telenor Myanmar, allowing the user data of more than 18 million Telenor customers in Myanmar to fall into the hands of Myanmar military-affiliated Investcom. Telenor Group must stop the sale completely and safeguard its users’ data to protect their lives. There are high risks of unpredictable violence, including murder. Users have entrusted Telenor with highly sensitive information including SIM card registration, call logs, internet logs, location data, mobile money usage, and historical activity records. All Telenor users and their affiliates, including their family members, are at risk and could be arrested, or murdered based on the user data shared by Telenor to the new owner and the military, by proxy. Make your voice heard on this by going here.
3. Tell Bayco: Stop Selling Burmese Blood Gems. Harry Winston stopped selling #GenocideGems, now it is Bayco’s turn. Tell them to stop funding the junta by selling rubies and jade from Myanmar.
4. Tell Bulgari: Stop Selling Burmese Blood Gems. Bulgari also sells #GenocideGems. Make them stop here.

The UNSC and ILO must stop the junta’s forced conscription law. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) must prevent the enactment of this law. The forced conscription law imposed by the military junta in Myanmar represents a severe threat to peace, stability, and human security in the region. We urge the United Nations Security Council and the International Labour Organization to act swiftly and decisively to address this crisis and uphold the principles of justice, dignity, and human rights for all. Add your voice to stop this brutal practice here.

Tell Congress to act.

1. Get your Member of Congress to join the Congressional Burma Caucus. The Congressional Burma Caucus will play a crucial role in ensuring that U.S. policy towards Myanmar remains principled, proactive, and effective. The caucus will join the call on the U.S. Administration to increase support to the democratic forces in Burma and to cut off the Myanmar military junta from the revenues, weapons, and jet fuel that it needs to stay in power. Send your Member a message by going here.
2. Tell Congress to pass its resolutions for the people of Myanmar. Congress is considering two bipartisan resolutions, one in the House of Representatives (H.Res.86) and the other in the Senate (S.Res.20). Take action today to urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor and support these important resolutions. Contact your Congressperson and Senators by going here.

Stop Australian mining’s support for Myanmar’s military junta. oin our mission to propel the Australian government into action! We’re rallying to urge Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Assistant Minister Tim Watts to issue sanctions against Myanmar’s mining sector, a critical move to disrupt the flow of funds to the military junta, and stop Australian-owned and led companies providing direct and indirect support to the junta through mining activities. Add your name here.

#DoMoreSingapore! Block the Myanmar junta’s access to funds, arms, equipment, and jet fuel. The brutal and illegal Myanmar military junta has been relying on Singapore for funds and the supply of arms, equipment, technology, and jet fuel, enabling its ongoing attacks against the people. Add your name here.

The Rohingya still face persecution and remain stateless.

More than 700,000 Rohingya were forced from their homes during the genocide of 2017. Most remain in refugee camps seven years later. Beyond the horrors of genocide and death, the Rohingya are denied access to an education and future. This must be rectified. While the restoration of democracy in Myanmar will go a long way, that’s not all that we can do.

Tell Meta to pay reparations for the damage done by Facebook. It is no secret that social media can be dangerous but in Myanmar, it has been deadly for the Rohingya. Meta (then Facebook) contributed to violence and discrimination by spreading and amplifying anti-Rohingya content through its platform. However, the billion-dollar company has refused all requests from the Rohingya to provide a meaningful remedy. A group of Rohingya youth filed a human rights complaint against Meta for its role in the abuses committed against their community. They demanded a $1 million investment for educational projects in their refugee camps. Meta is a multi-billion dollar company but refuses to pay for the terrible harm done to the Rohingya community through its platform. Tell Meta to do what is right for the Rohingya here.

Once again, Armenians are the victims of genocide.

April 24, 2024 was the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. This event was the impetus for Rafael Lemkin’s coining of the word “genocide.” Before that, there was no way to describe the desire to wipe a people from the map. Today, Armenians in Azerbaijan face that same existential threat.

BP: Stop funding genocide against Armenians by Azerbaijan. It is impossible to overstate the role BP plays in Azerbaijan. BP has been in the region since the early 1990s. Since then, it has been the largest investor in Azerbaijan, spending more than $84 billion on projects in that nation.

The United Nations (UN) has recently clarified international guidelines for businesses operating in conflict zones. The UN calls on companies to pay closer attention to human rights in these high-risk zones. The Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights expanded its guidelines in August to add that businesses need to “identify and assess their adverse impacts on human rights and conflict, act to cease or prevent them, and track and communicate the measures taken.”

Sign the petition to demand that BP step up and speak out against Azerbaijan’s atrocities against the Armenians of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh.

Tell Congress to Pass the Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act. The United States must stand up to this aggression. A bipartisan group of Members of Congress have introduced the Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act in both the Senate (S.2900) and the House (H.R.5683). Contact Congress by going here.

Sudan is in crisis.

On April 15, 2023, fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) plunging the nation into a nearly unimaginable crisis. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has identified the country as sitting on the precipice of a full genocide. It’s been more than a year, yet the international community’s response remains woefully inadequate. It’s time to demand action and show solidarity with the people of Sudan.

1. Tell President Biden to take a stand for Sudan. Add your voice and sign the petition urging President Biden to address the nation and the world to bear witness to the tragedy unfolding, to mobilize international support for civilians, and to prevent further loss of civilian life. Do that here.
2. Tell Congress: Stand up for the people of Sudan. Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and James Risch (R-ID) and Representatives Michael McCaul (R, TX-10) and Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5) have introduced companion resolutions to help end the violence in Sudan in the Senate (S.Con.Res.24) and the House (H.Res.982). Contact Congress here.

It may seem like the world is falling apart. There are more refugees in the world than at any other point in history. Authoritarianism is on the rise and democracy is on the decline. Russia seems poised to take Ukraine and the situation in Gaza worsens daily. That doesn’t mean despair is the word of the day.

As dire as things look, progress is happening. Last year, human rights activists were able to secure Paul Rusesbagina’s release from a Rwandan prison. Consumer pressure has forced Chevron, Harry Winston, and Kirin to cease operations in Myanmar.

Congress, as dysfunctional as it can seem, is stepping up for the Uyghurs and people of Myanmar. Change is on the horizon and better days lie ahead if we work together.