A law prohibiting citizens under the age of 18 from participating in cotton harvesting has come into force in Turkmenistan.
Based on a decision by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Turkmenistan, two new professions, "Cotton Picker" and "Cotton Grower," have been added to the list of prohibited occupations for teenagers, state media in Turkmenistan reported.
The new decision has been registered with the Ministry of Justice of Turkmenistan, and control over its implementation has been assigned to the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the population of the country.
The government of Turkmenistan has long been criticized by international human rights groups for using forced labor in cotton production. Turkmenistan is among the world's top ten cotton-producing countries.
The "Turkmenistan" section of the U.S. State Department's 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report states that the Turkmen government continues the practice of forced labor, annually involving adults and children in cotton picking, as well as coercing the population to participate in public events and other activities.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 7, 2024