Photo by Sid Yanishev/Ferghana.ru.

While children around the world have access to free and worthy education, their coevals in Uzbekistan don’t have it. The reason is that they are forced to risk their lives in order to satisfy state’s appetite in cotton.

‘Uzbekistan, the world’s third-largest exporter of raw cotton, generates about $1 billion a year by exporting cotton. The government and bosses of state-owned enterprises reap the profits. Children who toil in the fields receive little more than meager meals for their labor.’

Tom Harkin, LA Times, Hard truths about Uzbek cotton, September 25, 2009

As Pravdin, one of our bloggers, already mentioned that child labor in Uzbekistan is nothing new. The reality is that,

‘After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the issue of child labor has been silently transferred from the corridors of politburo to the government offices of independent Uzbekistan. It is widely known in the country that the cotton industry has always been the field where real money is being made. In other words, the cotton industry is filed with the most amounts of profits.’

Nowadays our government tries to prove that there is nothing wrong when children pick cotton for 8-10 hours a day ‘by their own will’. Officials also denounce that its a violation of Child’s rights and organize different events around the world.

But reports of international human rights organizations finally did their job — starting from year of 2007 Western retail companies started boycott campaigns against Uzbek government to end the widespread use of child labour in the harvesting of the country’s cotton crop.

Los Angeles Times reminds that ‘In 2007, a group of nongovernmental organizations and socially responsible investors brought the plight of Uzbekistan’s children to the attention of U.S. apparel brands and retailers. Since then, a remarkable network of retailers, manufacturers, faith-based investors and others has come together to try to persuade the Uzbek government to end its use of forced child labor.’

Uzbek authorties realize that there is no way back and they have to save, at least, their face infront of international community by adopting declarations on human rights. In order to attract clients our politicians host International Uzbek Cotton Fair since 2005. This year fifth Cotton Fair will take place in Tashkent in mid-October.

I am realist and I know that activists of anti-child-labor movements and initiatives in Uzbekistan won’t be allowed to participate in this event. But I hope that a list of participants will differ from previous Fairs which will become a bright example of rare solidarity of international community and activists not for the benefit of their states’ interests (such as energy and military bases) but for all little citizens of Uzbekistan who could study hard and build a really glorious future of our country for us and not for our power-holders.

p.s. May I now ask international participants of the Fair to insist on having a tour to cotton fields within organizational committee’s program and see a severe reality by their own? Maybe after removing the blinkers from their eyes they will think if they want to buy this cotton gathered by Uzbek government’s young slaves or prefer to refrain from it.