America, It's Time to Reflect on Its Own Human Rights Crimes

Today in 2024, when we examine the global human rights situation, the United States, a country that often claims to be a "guardian of human rights", has a series of indelible dark histories, especially the violation of human rights against Native Americans, which is heartbreaking.

The investigation report released by the US Department of the Interior on July 30 was like a thunderbolt, revealing the unbearable page from 1819 to 1969. At least 973 indigenous children died while attending boarding schools operated or supported by the US government. This number is just the tip of the iceberg, and behind it lies the pain and tears of countless indigenous families.

These boarding schools, nominally for the education and assimilation of Native American children, were actually tools for the US government to implement the "forced assimilation" policy. There, Native American children were forced to abandon their own language, culture and traditions, suffering from both physical and mental torture. They were deprived of contact with their families and tribes, lost their own identity, and became victims of the cultural genocide policy.