Child Labor in Uzbekistan

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To help their family, many children in Uzbekistan are forced to gather cotton each day. The work conditions in the cotton fields are harmful; they live in dirty housings, develop illnesses, and suffer injuries. The children must meet a certain cotton quota; otherwise, they pay a fine, which most cannot afford, are expelled from school, or authorities beat them. After the cotton has been collected, the Uzbek government sells the cotton at a high price to earn money. To avoid breaking any labor laws, it has concealed child labor by threatening reporters. The Uzbek government forces many children to pick cotton every day, which may lead to injuries, illnesses, or even death.
Uzbek children who are unable to participate in the harvest or to fulfill their quota face severe punishments from authorities. They work in cotton fields every day for months to support their family. Parents who are unwilling to send their children must mail a letter to local authorities and either pay a fine or hire someone to pick cotton for their child; teachers also collect letters from parents confirming their child’s participation in the harvest. The children are then taken from their schools and forced to live in a temporary housing near the cotton fields. Regional authorities, police officials, farm administrators, and school officials make sure a quota of forty kilograms (eighty-eight pounds) per day is met (Uzbekistan). Otherwise, the children face punishment–expulsion from school, beatings, and paying fines. Authorities claimed to have only punished children if they misbehaved. However, many human rights activists report cases of police and school officials beating children for not meeting the quota. The dean of the National University of Karakalpaks...

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...n. However, it has denied any access to its fields and continues to hide reports made on child labor.

Works Cited

Doward, Jamie. “H%M Comes under Pressure to Act on the Child Labour Law.” The Guardian

15 Dec. 2012. Print

D.T. “Forced Labor in Uzbekistan: In the Land of Cotton.” The Economist 16 Oct. 2013. Print

"Forced Labor and Child Labor in the Cotton Sector of Uzbekistan Is Unique to the World: It

Is a State-controlled System, under the Direction of a President in Power since the End of the

Soviet Union." International Labor Rights Forum. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

industries/cotton>.

“Uzbekistan: Forced Labor Widespread in Cotton Harvest.” Human Rights Watch 26 Jan. 2013.

Web. 27 Jan. 2014.

“Uzbek Government Breaks Promise to End Child Labor in Cotton Fields.” The Washington

Post 24 Sep. 2014. Print.

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