Officials punished for involvement in forced cotton picking

north_east

Price set for cotton harvest

Officials involved in cases of forced labor during the cotton harvest season have been punished. This was reported by the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment.

According to the ministry, monitoring activities are being carried out to prevent child labor and forced labor during the cotton harvest, as well as to ensure compliance with labor laws. During inspections conducted from September 10 to 20 of this year, practical assistance was provided to more than 300 cotton pickers in signing seasonal employment contracts.

Violations of labor legislation were identified in 11 cases, and officials were subjected to disciplinary measures under Article 49 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility (violation of labor and labor protection legislation). Measures were also taken against three officials who engaged in forced labor under Part 1 of Article 51 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility (administrative coercion to labor).

“Any form of forced labor is strictly prohibited in Uzbekistan, and violators will be held accountable,” the ministry’s report stated.

It should be noted that earlier, a video showing Dilfuza Toshmatova, deputy mayor of the Saryosiyo district of the Surkhandarya region and head of the Family and Women’s Department, forcing female mahalla activists to pick cotton was leaked online. In the footage, Toshmatova instructed the activists to forcibly recruit 5–10 citizens to participate in the harvest. Following the incident, the deputy mayor was punished.