U.S. apparel importers pressure Uzbekistan on child labor

A coalition of four trade associations has written to the government of Uzbekistan asking it to end the use of forced child labor for harvesting cotton.

Uzbekistan, the world's third-largest cotton exporter, is alleged in recent human rights reports to have allowed children as young as 10 to 15 years old to be used to pick cotton.

Our member companies are firmly committed to sourcing in countries respectful of human and workers' rights, said the letter from the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the National Retail Federation, the Retail Leaders Industry Association, and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel.

The companies threatened to find alternative sources of cotton, which accounts for 20 percent of the country's exports and more than 15 percent of its Gross Domestic Product, if President Islam Abduganievich didn't swiftly address workplace child abuse. Many North American and European companies have already taken steps to embargo Uzbek cotton from their products.

The coalition is also alerting the International Labor Organization, the State Department and other foreign retail associations about the situation in Uzbekistan. 

Source: American Shipper