Beijing, Feb 8 (NationPress) The Chinese government has reportedly tightened restrictions on the religious practices of Tibetans by enforcing a ban that prohibits children under the age of 18 from accessing monasteries, according to a recent report.

This announcement was brought to light after a video emerged on the messaging platform WeChat, raising alarms about potential violations of Tibetan cultural and religious freedoms, as noted by Phayul, a news outlet focusing on Tibet and Tibetans in exile.

Notices stating "Children under 18 are not permitted in the monastery" have appeared at the entrance of a monastery in Kham, highlighting the strict enforcement of China's longstanding policies aimed at limiting participation of minorities in religious practices.

The implementation of this policy aligns with the winter holidays, a time when schools in Tibetan regions are closed for their annual recess. Traditionally, many Tibetan children would visit monasteries with their families during this period. However, this ban now prevents minors from entering even in the company of their parents.

Sonam Tobgyal, a researcher at Tibet Watch, remarked that this decision by China forms part of a systematic endeavor to erode Tibetan cultural legacy.

"In recent years, a series of Chinese policies in Tibet — such as mandatory pre-nursery boarding schools for Tibetan children, the ban on Tibetan language instruction in monasteries during holidays, and the restriction on children visiting monasteries during winter breaks — indicate a deliberate attempt to deprive cultural nurturing during critical developmental years," Phayul quoted him.

Tobgyal asserted that these policies collectively represent a "colonial project aimed at obliterating Tibetan cultural impressions from the daily lives of young Tibetans," according to the Phayul report.

State-run educational institutions for Tibetan children are supplemented with an extra administrative layer overseen by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), tasked with managing ethnic minorities and religious organizations. This department supervises Tibetan students, subjects them to ideological indoctrination, and encourages policies promoting forced linguistic and cultural assimilation, as reported by Phayul.

This framework encourages or compels Tibetan children to abandon their native language in favor of the Chinese language, identity, and political allegiance. Critics argue that these actions are intended to reshape Tibetan children into individuals who communicate, think, and identify as Chinese. Parents have noted that during winter and summer breaks, their children converse in Chinese, respond to inquiries in Chinese, and exhibit fear or reluctance about visiting monasteries.