Imminent high level hearing on Uzbekistan

A high-level hearing on Uzbekistan, “From the Uzbek Cotton Fields to the Termez Military Base”, will take place in Berlin on March 1^st.

Experts from government, business and NGO backgrounds come together to discuss the relationship between Germany and Uzbekistan. This includes Craig Murray, former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Hugh Williamson from Human Rights Watch and two representatives of the German government.

Uzbekistan is considered one of the most repressive regimes in the world. Against this backdrop, the experts will discuss the extent to which Western political and economical interests affect human rights in the country, positively or negatively. State-sponsored child labour during the cotton harvest, the subject of our Cotton Crimes campaign, will be a primary point of engagement.

The hearing, held in both English and German, is open to all that RSVP. Click for your invitation: English or German

Victory in the European Parliament

Great news from the European Parliament! MEPs have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to extend a trade deal with Uzbekistan due to concerns over the ongoing use of forced child labour in the country’s cotton industry.

603 MEPs voted to send back proposed legislation that could have resulted in the EU increasing its textile imports from Uzbekistan, including cotton harvested by children in slavery, until the issue of forced child labour has been addressed. Only 8 MEPs voted against.

The European Parliament raised the question of Uzbekistan’s benefit from preferential trade tariffs, despite the ongoing use of child slavery.

Joanna Ewart-James, Anti-Slavery International Supply Chain Programme Co-ordinator, said: “By rejecting the deal the European Parliament has sent a strong message to Uzbekistan that it must end slavery. It is also very encouraging that Europe is finally looking to ensure its trade deals reflect its human rights concerns. Countries should not be financially rewarded for profiting from slavery.”

Catherine Bearder, MEP South East England who supports our campaign, said: “The European Parliament has made it clear that Uzbekistan can not pretend that it is ‘business as usual’ while it continues to profit from child slavery.”

You can see a short video of her powerful message in the Parliament here http://youtu.be/wRPGaP9uOGE. 

This is a fantastic response from MEPs who have overwhelmingly rejected this trade deal taking a very strong stance on the ongoing used of forced child labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. This vote is a very positive step in the right direction for the EU as we call for consistency in its message that forced labour in Uzbek cotton fields must end.

BISHOP BELL SCHOOL DELIVERS COTTON CRIMES PETITION WITH OVER 13,000 SIGNATURES TO THE EU

With a current total of 13, 379 signatures for the Cotton Crimes Petition so far and still counting, Anti-Slavery International and five Students from Bishop Bell School in Eastbourne presented the petition to George Cutas MEP on the 7^th December at the European Parliament in Brussels. Accepting the petition on behalf of the International Trade Committee, George Cutas said he will be presenting it to the European Parliament next week. The petition requests the removal of Uzbekistan’s preferential trade tariffs in light of the ongoing use of state-sponsored child slavery in the country’s cotton industry.

Mr George-Sabin Cutas MEP said:

“I congratulate the students as I think this is a really important issue. I am impressed by their effort to come to the European Parliament and speak out for children in Uzbekistan who are forced to pick cotton.”

Catherine Bearder and Bishop Bell School students presenting the petition to George Cutas

Jasmine Down age 14 said:

“When I heard that children, sometimes as young as 5, are working in the cotton fields for 3 months a year, I was outraged. I believe these children should have a choice in whether they work in the cotton fields and that they shouldn’t get punished for not picking good quality or not enough cotton.”

“The act I would like the European Parliament to do about this issue is to stop child labour and give these children an education.”

“Today has been the best experience of my life and I have met loads of different people and learnt a great deal of things.”

Bishop Bell School students at the European Union

 

 

 

Isaac Nuckhir, age 14 also said:

“Once I found out what was happening in Uzbekistan, I immediately thought that it was unfair on these children. The fact they don’t even have the choice of education or work, it makes me think that I and others take things for granted and I’m thankful for my education.”

“I feel the European Parliament could put a stop to child labour and give children the same education as me.”

“I think it was a very good and interesting day overall. The MEPs who signed the petition were very respectful. I enjoyed myself and it was a good laugh.”

 

Their presence was well received by the MEPs who visited our stand. Over 19 in total signed our petition, took photos and talked with the students. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Catherine Bearder MEP who sponsored our visit and helped make this trip possible as well as the students from Bishop Bell School and everyone who signed the petition.

Michael Theurer

Catherine Bearder MEP said:

“I’m delighted that the children have been learning about this issue and where the things they buy come from. When I’m working in Parliament I want to be representing the views of my constituents which is why I’m so pleased they are here today. It’s been an early start which just shows their commitment.”

Bishop Bell School with Gemma Wolfes and Joanna Ewart-James from Anti-Slavery

Next week the EU Parliament will be voting on a trade deal that would make it easier for Uzbekistan to export textiles to Europe. The Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee have already voted against this. If the EU votes against this it would be a very positive step towards getting the EU to take greater action against child-slavery in Uzbekistan.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign. We need to continue to pressure Uzbekistan via the EU to ensure child slavery in the country ends once and for all, so please watch this space for how you can keep supporting us.

You can see more pictures of the petition delivery on our facebook page. 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150459936278377.382107.46852258376&type=1.

Thank you!

LOBBYISTS' ROLE IN BRUTAL REGIMES EXPOSED

Today it was reported, through a Bureau of Investigative Journalism sting, that Bell Pottinger, one of Britain’s largest lobbying companies, is able to influence public opinion on behalf of governments that violate human rights. Uzbekistan is one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world, and its ongoing use of state-sponsored child slavery during the annual cotton harvest attests to that.

Tim Collins, a senior director at Bell Pottinger, claimed to have access to key UK politicians like William Hague. He alleged that they would be able to manipulate Google to push negative coverage of human rights violations away from the front page of a search, although this is against the code of conduct that Bell Pottinger has signed.

News that a lobbying firm may have influence on government and public policy has spread across the media like wildfire. This coverage raises questions around how lobbyists may influence the EU's decision-making process and allow Uzbekistan to continue with business as usual.

Uzbekistan continues to benefit from EU preferential trade tariffs despite violating international law through the use of state-sponsored forced labour to collect its cotton harvest each Autumn. Tomorrow we will be handing in a petition to the European Parliament calling for these preferences to be removed. We must show them that this is not acceptable.

COTTON CRIMES PETITION TO BE HANDED TO EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TOMORROW

We have been working hard on this campaign over the past year, and we are pleased to announce that we have substantially surpassed our target of a 10,000 signature strong petition to the European Parliament. This petition requests the removal of Uzbekistan’s preferential trade tariffs in light of the ongoing use of state-sponsored child slavery in the country’s cotton industry.

We are currently at 13072 signatures, and we could not have got to this point without valuable support. Change.org helped us reach a wider audience, for which we are grateful. People like Ricky Martin have voiced their support of our campaign and shared our viral video “End Cotton Crimes”. Ethical fashion bloggers and online magazines like ethical consumer have posted our campaign onto their blogs, as well as sharing it via social media. The Ethical Fashion Forum shared our message at their Source Expo earlier this year. Most importantly, though, our supporters – you – have engaged with the campaign, spoken out against the crimes that the Uzbek government continues to commit, and taken the time to sign our petition.

This petition will be hand-delivered to the European Parliament tomorrow (7th December) by Anti-Slavery International and schoolchildren from Bishop Bell School, invited by Catherine Bearder MEP after they wrote to her expression concern over slavery in the fashion industry.

The importance of dealing with this issue has been emphasised today through the national press as they publish stories about Bell Pottinger’s willingness to work with journalists posing as clients from the Uzbek government. The international public relations giant indicated a desire to work with, and transform the image of, one of the most vicious dictatorships in the world. In the face of this, we must convince the international community to speak up for the children of Uzbekistan.

Uzbek activist urges compliance with laws on forced child labour

Dmitriy Tikhonov, a human rights activist based in Angren, has written to the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Rustam Azimov, asking for an end to forced child labour practices during the cotton harvest.

Tikhonov says, “I addressed my demands to Rustam Azimov because he is personally responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution No.207 of 12th September 2008.”

This resolution is supposed to implement the ILO Minimum Age Convention alongside a ban on, and eradication of, child labour.

Angren authorities even recently distributed a flyer stating the use of child labour was against the law, whilst demonising and denouncing the ‘mendacious insinuations and misinformation’ in foreign media.

There is no insinuation or misinformation here. Thanks to the efforts of monitors we know that, this season, widespread use of forced child labour has been documented throughout Uzbekistan.

Any students that refuse to work the harvest are punished, their parents forced to pay to “employ” a replacement worker (at around US $60-120 according to unofficial market rates).

“Many families will literally hand over their last penny, sell property or go into debt in order to make those payments,” says Tikhonov.

The audacity of the Uzbek government is astounding. ILO conventions are ratified and ignored while leaflets denouncing the truth are distributed in cities. Despite Uzbekistan’s continued use of child labour and evident lack of respect for international law, the EU still provides the country with preferential trade tariffs. We must take action to end this; you can sign our petition to the European Parliament, which will be delivered on the 7^th December, here.

Edited from uznews.net and cottoncampaign.org

Cotton Crimes is off to Brussels!

On the 7th December 2011 we'll be descending on the European Parliament with schoolchildren from Bishop Bell School in Eastbourne to hand in our Cotton Crimes campaign petition calling on the European Union to do more to stop child slavery in Uzbekistan.

Please sign our petition here to help us reach 10,000 signatures before the big day! 


Catherine Bearder, MEP for South-East England, invited the students to Brussels after they wrote to her to express their concern about buying clothes made by children in slavery and asked her to take up the issue at the European Parliament.

Our petition is calling for the European Union to stop rewarding Uzbekistan with preferential trade tariffs until the former Soviet republic ends the practice of forcing hundreds of thousands of school children as well as adults to pick its annual cotton harvest.

You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter on the day for live updates from the students who will be lobbying MEPs about this issue ahead of a key Parliamentary vote regarding an Uzbek-EU trade deal, which could make it easier for Uzbekistan to import textiles into Europe.

Please help us put a stop to this and SIGN THE PETITION HERE.