ILO Confirms Forced Labor in Cotton From Turkmenistan
The International Labor Organization confirmed cases of forced and child labor in Turkmenistan, according to its report on labor conditions in the country.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Despite the country's recent ban on child labor in cotton picking, the ILO found that the practice persists with "17 percent of farmers reporting child involvement on their farms, while 14 percent of staff and 11 percent of pickers indicated they had worked in fields where children were also present."
The ILO found that civil servants, including teachers, janitorial workers and doctors, were found to be working on cotton farms, which the organization said "may indicate a pattern or risk of forced mobilization." Adding to the concern of forced mobilization is the ILO's finding that 12% of cotton pickers reported potential negative consequences for non-participation such as a loss of health care access or threats of violence.