The Role of Children in Uzbekistans Cotton Harvest

The Role of Children in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Harvest By Elliott Cannell & Steve Trent

Denying that Child Labour occurs “We do not use children’s labour” - Uzbek Embassy in London “We buy our cotton from government agencies and don’t know what happens in the field” - an International Cotton Trader

Child Labour in the Uzbek Cotton Harvest “Our teacher told us to go and pick cotton. Everyone is picking cotton… I get 50 soums for one day” – Dilfusa, 10 years old, Namangan “Everybody says cotton, but we need a future generation. Everyone is involved in picking cotton from 1 st classes to old men and women who can hardly walk. ” – Abdurakhimova, an Uzbek schoolteacher “ 12 kgs a day. ” “It’s better to go to school: you get education” – Isom, 12 years old, Ferghana

Organisation of Child Labour Mass mobilisation of children orchestrated by the Uzbek State Accommodation in makeshift barracks

How many Children? UNICEF – 22. 6% of 5 -14 year olds (1. 4 million children) 700, 000 schoolchildren in 1987 (45% mechanisation) “It’s getting worse and worse. Before they sent children from the 9 th to the 11 th classes. But now they’re sending 3 rd class children as well. Children as young as 9 years old have no lessons and are also involved in the cotton campaigns. ” 200, 000 in Ferghana District (2001)

Consequences of Forced Child Labour Exhaustion Intestinal and respiratory infections, meningitis, hepatitis Death – 8 children in Samarkand over a 2 year period Debt: actual wages < expenses

Uzbek Human Rights Organisations “I want to ask the representatives of developed countries not to buy cotton which is picked by the hands of small children” – Head of Ezgulic, Namangan (2004) 18 NGOs signed petition: ‘Boycott Uzbek cotton – our great future suffering in the cotton fields’ (2004) “I believe that the world community will force the Uzbek government to respond to these crimes forcing children to be slaves” – Ut Yuraklar (2004)

EJF Campaign Retailers: declare their products free of Uzbek cotton Build on existing EU position re: child labour imports Clothing label designating apparel as being ‘Child Labour Free’ Create greater awareness of the issue

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