Cotton Production in Turkmenistan: Use of Forced Labor in an Inefficient System

Amsterdam/Vienna, 23 March 2021. Two Turkmen non-governmental organizations, turkmen.news and the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights, have today published their joint Review of the Use of Forced Labor in Turkmenistan During the 2020 Cotton Harves. The report is based on monitoring by the NGOs’ staff in four of the five regions of Turkmenistan — Ahal, Dashoguz, Lebap, and Mary.

UZBEKISTAN COTTON HARVEST 2020: HIGHLIGHTS – VIDEO

Despite significant progress on the eradication of forced labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector, new challenges have come to light since the privatization process began. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland have now been transferred to private operators (clusters) leaving many farming families without work and in poverty. Because only one cluster operates per district, farmers who have retained their land are now trapped in contracts to deliver cotton to the cluster in their district, leaving them without the power to negotiate favorable terms. Instead of the state, de facto private monopolies have emerged that control entire districts.

Fashion Brands Urged to Boycott Turkmenistan’s Cotton

Global fashion brands have been yet again pressed to avoid cotton from Turkmenistan after a new investigation emerged last week revealing how last year’s harvest was once more mired in forced labour, corruption and persecution of activists, Ecotextile News reported.

JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION IN UZBEKISTAN

On March 19, 2021, over 200 employees of Indorama Agro in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan held a meeting to establish the independent trade union, “Xalq Birligi” (People’s Unity), the first of its kind in the country. The documents required for formal registration of the union will be filed with the Ministry of Justice in the coming days. Xalq Birligi will be open to any employees of Indorama Agro who wish to join.

Harassment, Bullying, and Violence against Women in Uzbekistan.

The issues of harassment, bullying, and violence against women in Uzbekistan are being covered with greater frequency in the national mass media. Lately, events involving a Polish lady reporter who was going through the process of extending her accreditation and faced harassment became a subject of a broad discussion. And while the accreditation issue was eventually dealt with in a most expeditious manner, the allegations of harassment were never investigated and the perpetrator was never brought to justice.

Cotton workers form the first independent trade union in Uzbekistan

The first independent and democratic trade union organization has been formed in Uzbekistan. On March 19, 2021, 335 workers from the Indorama cotton plantations founded “Xalq Birligi” (Peoples’ Unity) in response to low wages and deteriorating working conditions in the transnational company, Indorama.