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