Commitment to the preservation of history and culture never supersedes TWA's mission to effect substantive political change in Tibet and to protect Tibetan women living under Chinese rule. The completely revised fifth edition of Tears of Silence, investigates Chinese birth control policies in Tibet and the violations of Tibetan women's fundamental rights of reproduction. Beginning with an overview of the most recent academic research into the state of reproductive rights within Tibet, Tears of Silence proceeds to provide a comprehensive account of official birth control policies, the coercion implicit in their often brutal implementation, and the profound impact that this is having upon Tibetan women and Tibetan society. Included within are seven case studies, the firsthand accounts illustrating the toll that such policies have upon individual lives and families.