Uzbekistan sets up child labour monitoring group

The Uzbek government has announced the formation of a new working group to ensure no forced child labour is used in Uzbekistan. Yet Tashkent has still not issued an invitation to the ILO to visit Uzbekistan during the cotton harvest this autumn.

The working group includes government ministries and government-organised social organisations but there are no representatives from independent NGOs or civil society. The officially-sanctioned group says it will monitor conditions of labour for children under 18 and prevent the worst forms of child labour, as required under ILO conventions.

Based on reports of the systematic use of forced child labour, the ILO has sought an invitation to visit Uzbekistan and monitor conditions during the cotton harvest. The announcement of the working group seems to give the semblance of cooperation with the ILO while distracting from the fact that Tashkent has continued to refuse to issue the invitation.

Umida Niyazova, head of the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, told cottoncampaign.org that the measure seemed to be largely for show:

This is a peculiar response by the government to its own decision to refuse an ILO mission. Forced child labour in Uzbekistan exists precisely because the government supports this system. Therefore, it would be naive and absurd to suppose that the government is capable of monitoring itself, knowing that it is the state itself that is responsible for the existence of this problem.

It remains to be seen how much the working group will really function, and whether it will attempt to displace authentic monitoring activity by Uzbekistan’s beleaguered human rights groups.

This is an abridged version of an article posted on cottoncampaign.org 

Uzbekistan expands its client base

The recent floods in Pakistan, which destroyed approximately 15% of its cotton crop, have put its textile industry in a vulnerable position.  Never one to miss an opportunity, Uzbekistan officials swiftly secured a deal whereby struggling Pakistan has agreed to take a delivery of one million bales of cotton.

Uzbekistan’s standard procedure in cotton deals is to demand an 80% advance payment in cash, however interestingly it is reported that Uzbekistan has agreed to waive this demand in order to secure the deal.  Perhaps a sign of desperation? Customers in China and Bangladesh are facing difficult questions from international retailers over the origin of their cotton and conditions in which it was harvested, so is this a case of Uzbekistan looking to secure new business partners that don’t ask so many questions?