Cotton pickers in a field outside Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Photo CC-by-NC-ND-2.0: Matthew Goulding / Flickr. Some rights reserved.Companies around the world involved with the cotton industry have increasingly been feeling pressure to steer clear of crops produced with forced and child labour. Apparently, the World Bank hasn’t gotten the message. It has actually boosted its investments in projects benefiting the large cotton sector in Uzbekistan’s economy, where the government oversees a massive program of forced labour to harvest the crop. In doing so, the World Bank has provided cover for the government’s abuse and created a muddled picture about Uzbekistan’s dismal rights record, even while claiming to support reforms.
European consumers should keep the reality of the situation at the forefront of their minds as they make decisions about buying clothing and household goods made of cotton following a recent European Parliament decision to extend a trade agreement with Uzbekistan to include textiles.
The authorities ordered schools in some areas to force children as young as 10 to pick cotton
