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.