By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 19: Tibetan activists have expressed strong disappointment with the Group of Seven (G7), urging the international body to take a firmer stance on China’s human rights violations in Tibet. The outcry comes after the G7 foreign ministers failed to include Tibet in their 2025 joint statement, despite mounting evidence of severe human rights abuses in Tibet.
The G7 summit, held in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada from March 12 to 14, brought together representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Ahead of the meeting, global Tibet advocacy groups lobbied G7 foreign ministers to address China’s oppressive policies in Tibet. However, their concerns were omitted from the final statement, prompting widespread condemnation from activists.
A key point of contention is China’s mass placement of Tibetan children in state-run boarding schools. Reports indicate that over one million Tibetan children have been forcibly separated from their families and subjected to Mandarin-language education and political indoctrination. Human rights organisations have documented cases of abuse, neglect, and even deaths in these facilities. Many Tibetan children, some as young as four years old, are losing their ability to speak their native language, further eroding their cultural identity and severing ties with their families.
Prominent Tibet activists have spoken out against the G7’s failure to address the crisis. Lhadon Tethong of the Tibet Action Institute stated, “As China removes a generation of Tibetan children from their families, world leaders cannot ignore the situation. The G7 must take a position on China’s actions in Tibet.”
Similarly, Tesla Zoksang from Students for a Free Tibet criticised the omission, saying, “The G7 ministers’ failure to address Tibet marks a shift in their approach to human rights. Silence on Tibet signals a position on China’s actions.”
Sherap Therchin of the Canada Tibet Committee added, “The G7’s silence on Tibet disregards the concerns of the Tibetan people. The failure to address China’s actions shows a shift in approach.”
John Jones of Free Tibet further condemned the G7’s stance, highlighting the severe implications of China’s policies. “The political situation in Tibet and the placement of nearly a million children in state-run boarding schools should have been mentioned in the G7 statement. The large-scale development projects in Tibet have displaced many Tibetans and have consequences for the rest of Asia,” he said.
Rashi Jauhri of the International Tibet Network also questioned the G7’s inaction. “What does it take for G7 ministers to address Tibet? One million Tibetan children have been placed in state-run boarding schools. The G7’s response influences China’s policies in Tibet.”
Over the past two years, multiple United Nations human rights bodies have raised concerns about Tibet’s deteriorating situation. Reports have highlighted the mass boarding school system, a forced labour transfer programme, large-scale displacement of rural Tibetans, the imprisonment of Tibetan environmental defenders, and restrictions on Tibetan-language education. Tibetans who resist these policies continue to face severe repression, including detention and enforced disappearances.
The G7’s failure to include Tibet in its statement comes despite a recent declaration by 15 UN member states, including six G7 nations, condemning China’s human rights abuses in Tibet. Activists argue that by remaining silent, the G7 is failing its commitments to uphold human rights and pressuring China to change its policies in Tibet.
