Disney’s live-action Mulan was boycotted for filming in the same province as Uighur detention camps. Filming in the same state as ICE detention facilities needs to be held to the same standard.
After being released on Disney+, Mulan was heavily criticised for thanking Chinese government officials for helping to arrange filming in the province of Xinjiang, where millions of Uighur people have been imprisoned. The US has condemned China for Uighur detainment, with the Department of State publishing a webpage on the Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang. The page makes a point to highlight population control, among other things including forced labor and violations of religious freedom.
The reaction Mulan received was totally warranted. It is completely unethical to film a movie or TV show in the same place where people are being imprisoned and abused. Americans oftentimes turn their attention to problems happening around the world instead of addressing those happening right under their noses. Even though Americans spearheaded the Mulan boycott, they also ignored the human rights abuses happening in ICE detention facilities.
Meanwhile, Georgia has become a hub for filmmaking with hit shows like Stranger Things, Ozark, and The Walking Dead all being filmed in and around Atlanta despite being set elsewhere. All three of these shows have filmed and been released since 2018, which is when disturbing issues surrounding ICE came to light–including pictures of children being kept in cages with nothing but aluminum blankets. If the producers knew about the horrifying conditions of detainment centers near their filming locations, why wouldn’t they move? If fans knew, why wouldn’t they speak up?
These facilities have become notorious for the abuse that their detainees face. The ICE website keeps a running list of people who die in their custody, and of the 30 plus people, 20 have died in the 2020 fiscal year. ICE has also reported that 5,700 detainees have been infected with COVID-19, and at least three people have been sexually assaulted by ICE officers at the El Paso facility alone.
Dawn Wooten, a former nurse at a Georgia ICE center, made headlines this month after exposing a history of forced hysterectomies on female detainees. She along with Project South have been reporting on the forced sterilization of at least five women and the lack of medical care provided by the facilities. The women who had forced hysterectomies often did not know what was happening and started calling the doctor responsible the “uterus collector”.
It’s confusing that everyone has been able to find their voice with Mulan, yet excuse the same behavior when inside of the US. Why is everyone willing to excuse one filming location and protest the other? After all, the US Department of State recognizes the population control of the Uighur people as a human rights abuse. Why won’t they protect migrants and refugees in our country from the same abuses?
It is important to understand that both the Chinese treatment of the Uighur people and the US treatment of ICE detainees are terrible human rights violations. When we criticize another countries’ actions, we must remember to reflect upon our own. If you support boycotting Mulan, then you should boycott Stranger Things too.