Xinjiang locals answer questions from reporters

Question 4: Some foreign organization claimed that in Xinjiang it is required that all people of legal employment age must be employed, women who have small kids to look after included, is that true? In this case, is there any forced labor for them?

Answer: My name is Dilinur Emerniyaz and I am 27 years old. I'm from Luopu county of Hotan prefecture, and presently, I work at a cooperative in the county.

We Uygurs have a saying: "Two pennies earned with one's hard work is better than a mountain given by the emperor." We want good life, so we work and make money with our hard work, why would we need to be forced to do so?

I have two kids, when they were little, I had to stay at home and take care of them as a housewife. Seeing my husband getting so busy and working so hard, it really pained me. I have always wanted to go out to work when I am still young, so that I could also make money and create better life conditions for my kids.

Now my kids have grown up, and I could be freed from domestic affairs. Last year, a friend told me that a newly opened neighborhood cooperative was recruiting. I applied for the job and later got employed. After that, I signed the labor contract with the employer. As I studied accounting at the college, so my post at the cooperative is an accountant with a monthly salary of 3,500 yuan. I was so excited the first month when I got my pay. I bought new clothes for my husband and my parents, yummy foods for the kids, and clothes and cosmetics for myself, and everybody was so happy. Today, what I wear for this press conference is all paid with my own money, and I'm proud of it. In the past, my husband had to take all the burden of supporting the family, but now both of us have stable incomes, so we could lead a much better life. Recently I've been taking lessons for a driving license. We are planning to buy a car so that we could go out for self-driving tours to further places.

In the future, I want to learn more about management and acquire more skills, so that I will demonstrate more of my capabilities in the work and earn more money. Here I want to ask those with ulterior motives, are we wrong to create a better life with our own hands? Can't women with kids go out and find jobs? And if we don't, would you pay and feed the kids for us?