Eugenics has a long history extending into the 19th century, with its definition created around the same time as Darwin's theory of natural selection. It's classified as a movement used to "improve" the genetic composition of humans. A classic example is the set of medical experiments the Nazis used to perform in their rise to power and up until the end of World War II. These were targeted at most minority groups, ranging from the mentally ill, to the disabled, and the cultural and religious "undesirables" with some of the most common techniques being sterilization and drug testing.
Such procedures are highly individualistic and change physicalities person by person, which is what eugenics is most commonly referred to. However, on a larger and more extreme scale, genocide, as well as mass isolation and separation, also fall under the umbrella of eugenics, as these methods change the makeup of an entire population.
For decades now, China has been scrutinized for both political and economic policies. Their treatment of minority groups, beyond those who they share a border with, has only been recently coming into light. Particularly, the way they handle the Uyghur Muslims and the disabled is only becoming known now.
The discrimination against the Uyghur Muslims has built up over the years and the government's most current solutions are to place them in "political education" camps. More than 100,000 of these Muslims have been illegally taken away from their homes in order to prevent terrorist activity and rebellion. The purpose is to better assimilate them into Chinese culture through propaganda which shows them that their religious practices are wrong and instills blind patriotism and nationalism. Officials have even gone as far as to feed them pork and make them drink alcohol, two practices which are against Islamic practices. Both immoral and unethical, these camps go against every basic human rights principle, and who knows if those placed into them will ever be able to continue their lives back home where they belong?
When it comes to people with disabilities, the discrimination is not as apparent to the outside world. Having the largest population in the world also means they have a pretty high number of disabled citizens. With legislation such as "Laws on Protection of Persons With Disabilities," it would seem that the government is both accepting and concerned about its affected citizens. However, this only seems to be applied in writing and not in action, even in the larger cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Wheelchair and assistive device access is practically non-existent, seeing eye dogs are not allowed in public, and children are denied an education because the schools aren't funded to meet their needs.
In a highly targeted example, adults with dwarfism are sent to live and work in the "Kingdom of Little People." In everyday society, they are denied job opportunities and heavily biased against even by their friends and family. The so-called Kingdom allows them to maintain a steady pay through play performances for tourists and visitors and gives them a place to live in houses designed no less than what Snow White's dwarves would live in. Oddly enough, those living there actually prefer the situation to what they were facing outside. Because of the way society has segregated them, they are led to believe that such exploitation is completely okay and to be thankful for gaining friends and starting families with the people they share the condition with.
China's tactics with its minorities are both disgusting and shameful. Though in some ways, they may be within legal limits, that doesn't make them right in doing so. These groups should not be separated from the rest of the population and deserve to be integrated into everyday society. It's the 21st century, and as a major world leader, China is setting an unacceptable example with its practices of eugenics that can no longer be hidden or ignored.
