BERLIN – A report by Cotton Campaign member, the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights on the country's 2023 cotton harvest, has found that local officials resorted to forced labour in districts with a shortage of voluntary pickers, forcing some employees of several state organisations to pick cotton or pay for a replacement picker.
The report, 'Uzbek Cotton Harvest 2023-Risk of Forced Labor Remains High' calls on the Uzbek government and local cotton companies to take immediate action to reinforce, reform and develop a cotton and textile industry that meets international labour standards.
