Despites the authorities’ promises not to involve child labor in cotton campaign, Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan still continues to force children work in harvesting “the white gold”.
“Jarayon” received this information from Malohat Eshonova, journalist and coordinator of “Birdamlik” movement in Uzbekistan, who observed child labor in cotton plantations.
According to Eshonova, she, together with Yelena Urlaeva, head of human rights alliance in Uzbekistan, witnessed how schoolchildren from high school #70 of Beshkaltak village in Yakkabag district were picking cotton in government plantations. Human rights activists had a chance to interview children, take photos and videos of their work.
As activists report, children have been involved in picking cotton since the beginning of harvesting campaign, which usually starts in the beginning of September.
Even local authorities in charged of education could not deny the fact that schoolchildren from 4th do 9th grades were out in fields. Toshtemir Xushvaqtov, head of education local department, said that children were working voluntarily. However, the fact that children are working under control of teachers contradicts this statement.
“Police officers surrounded the car we were in and checked our documents. Then they asked us to show photos and videos that we took earlier. I said they would need official authorization to check them. Then we somehow managed to escape them,” says Malohat Eshonkulova in an interview to “Jarayon”s reporter.
The Uzbek authorities have long claimed that child labor is banned in Uzbekistan and is not practiced by the government. In 2012, the government even organized a campaign that called parents not to let their children work in cotton fields. However, the practice of making schoolchildren pick cotton still continues in Uzbekistan.
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