Uznews.net – The Uzbek authorities, fearing the global boycott of Uzbek cotton, are taking measures to reap a new cotton harvest without child labour, but will they manage it fully?

All regions in Uzbekistan started picking cotton in September – the country’s main crop, and this is being done in a very unusual situation for the government.

The threat of the boycott of Uzbek cotton in the world forced it to launch the cotton campaign without involving hundreds of thousands of Uzbek schoolchildren.

Farmers in Jizak and Samarkand Region say that a good start does not necessarily means a good end, and it may turn out that it is impossible to manage the campaign without children.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Jizak Region are collecting written undertakings from schoolchildren and their parents that no child has been involved in cotton picking and that all of them can continue their classes in school.

Teachers are collecting these undertakings and passing them over to school directors who will send them further to the district administrations.

A human rights activist from Samarkand said that schoolchildren and students are continuing their studies at the moment, but, he said, rumours are spreading that at least college and university students may be taken to cotton fields within 10 days.

“It is impossible to reap the harvest without free labour,” the human rights activist said. “Farmers are facing shortages of agricultural vehicles and equipment and labour.”

A campaign launched by NGOs against forced child labour in the Uzbek cotton industry has forced the Uzbek government to respect child rights. The authorities had been exploiting child labour on a large scale and ruthlessly in the past.

The campaign urged consumers of Uzbek cotton – Uzbekistan is the world’s second largest cotton exporter after the USA – to boycott cotton which involves child labour.

Western chains, such as Britain’s Tesco, Wal-Mart, Gap, H&M, Marimeko, C&A and others, have declared a boycott against Uzbek cotton and warned their suppliers in Asia and other parts of the world.