Findings of the UGF Monitoring 2016
Pictures
Current images can be found here…
Interactive Map of Uzbekistan
1
Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan
Capital: Nukus
Population: 1 711 800
Working population: 984 800 (57,53 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 188 000
2
Navoiy Region
Capital: Navoiy
Population: 888 400
Working population: 545 500 (61,40 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 110 000
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3
Kashkadarya Region
Capital: Qarshi
Population: 2 831 300
Working Population: 1 618, 100 (57,15 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 420 000
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4
Khorezm Region
Capital: Urgench
Population: 1 653 800
Working Population: 922 100
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 258 000
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5
Bukhara Region
Capital: Bukhara
Population: 1 729 700
Working population: 1 030 000 (59,55 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 342 000
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6
Surkhandarya Region
Capital: Termiz
Population: 2 260 600
Working Population: 1 284 300 (56,81 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 335 600
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7
Samarkand Region
Capital: Samarkand
Population: 3 380 900
Working population: 1 952 800 (57,76 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 228 700
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8
Namangan Region
Capital: Namangan
Population: 2 458 700
Working Population: 1 474 300 (59,96 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: N/A
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9
Jizzakh Region
Capital: Jizzakh
Population: 1 205 000
Working population: 696 300 (57,78 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 224 000
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10
Syrdarya Region
Capital: Guliston
Population: 750 600
Working population: 440 800 (58,73 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton produced in 2015: N/A
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11
Tashkent Region
Capital: Tashkent
Population: 2 695 700
Working population: 1 588 600 (58,93 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 255 400
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12
Andijan Region
Capital: Andijan
Population: 2 756 400
Working Population: 1 637 200 (59,40 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 293 100
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13
Fergana Region
Capital: Fergana
Population: 3 329 700
Working Population: 1 940 800 (58,29 %)
Tonnes of raw cotton collected in 2015: 280 000
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The Issue at Stake
Uzbekistan’s Forced Labor System of Cotton Production
Every year, the Uzbek government forcibly mobilizes over a million citizens to grow and harvest cotton. Farmers are forced to grow cotton and deliver production quotas under threats of penalty, including the loss of the lease to farm the land, criminal charges and fines. Over a million citizens are forced to pick cotton and deliver harvest quotas under threat of penalty, including expulsion from school, job loss, and loss of social security benefits…
tweets
"A stable government & tourist destination"? The @britishmuseum doesn’t seem to be well acquainted with #Uzbekistan: theguardian.com/world/2017/ju… pic.twitter.com/J4z2hb5sB1
ILO: Forced labor in Uzbekistan is not happening because we do not want to believe it
The International Labor Organization (ILO) recently published…
Official from the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers blames human rights activist for the country failing to fulfill its yearly cotton quota
On November 23, 2016 the human rights activist Elena Urlaeva…
D.R. Makhmudov’s official reply to Elena Urlaeva’s complaint
Posted on the 23rd of November, 2016
On October 21st,…
Samarkand Students Return From Picking Cotton
Students studying at the universities of Samarkand returned from…
Samarkand Students Picking Cotton for 60 Days
Students from universities in the Samarkand region have been…
“Bring 5 kg of cotton to school”
"Bring 5 kg of cotton to school"
A secondary school teacher…
Human rights activist Elena Urlaeva arrested in Buka city
The "Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan" - an informal association…
College Students Still Looking for Cotton
All third-year college students from the Buz district of the…
School Pupils from Bukhara Forced To Pick Cotton
Pupils from several schools in the Vobkent district of the Bukhara…
Uzbekistan: “Fearless” Human Rights Activists Continue to Monitor Cotton Harvest
On October 22, 2016, the journalist and human rights…
Teacher Beaten by Khokim in Kashkadarya for Awareness-Raising Activities
On the morning of October 19, Asror Juraev, Khokim of the Nishan…
Official Press on Uzbek Cotton Traders
A Cotton Trend
Tashkent has hosted one of the world’s biggest…
Cotton Harvest in Uzbekistan Through the Eyes of Cartoonists
Head of the Karshi district accused of beating farmers and managers failing to comply with cotton duties
The director of one of the colleges in the city of Bashkent in…
Senior Pupils from Mirzachul District Mobilized to Pick Cotton
Senior pupils from the Mirzachul district of the Jizzakh region…
School Pupils from Qashqadaryo Region Forced to Pick Cotton
According to several independent sources of Ozodlik in the Nishon…
Doctors, Teachers and High School Pupils Picking Cotton in Pastdargom District
On October 12, 2016 the activists Malokhat Eshonkulova and Elena…
BriefPaxta: “It Gets Worse and Worse”
One of Ozodlik’s followers informed them that school pupils…
BriefPaxta: “Pick Cotton Before Having Your Dog Put Down”
One of Ozodlik’s followers from Andijan claims that veterinarians…
BriefPaxta: “We Cannot Get Dental Care while Dentists are Picking Cotton”
A follower of Ozodlik from the Navoi region claims that there…
“We Were Subjected to a Full Investigation”
Police arrested the independent journalist Malohat Eshonkulova…
Uzbekistan export of textiles amounted to $ 1.1 billion in 2016
According to the official online periodical UzDaily.uz, Uzbekistan…
Employee from Jizzakh Beaten by Police for Refusing to Pick Cotton
Farkhod Mamaev from the village of Saratepa in the Dustlik district…
Elena Urlaeva Speaks About Detention and Assaults In Police Station
Police detained human rights activist Elena Urlaeva, photographer…
In Andijan drivers are forced to pick cotton and give cotton pickers a ride for free
Radio "Ozodlik" interviewed a driver of Andijan, who said that…
BriefPaxta: Good Grades for Cotton Pickers
One of Ozodlik’s followers from Bukhara has complained about…
More Students Mobilized to Pick Cotton due to Slowdown of Cotton Harvest
Weather conditions in Uzbekistan have been deteriorating since…
“You have to teach 8 different subjects while other teachers were away picking cotton”
This story is about a woman working as a college teacher.…
Andijan: Almost Everyone Mobilized to Pick Cotton
Nazira is a doctor. She is a gynecologist at the Screening Center…
Participant of Cotton Planning Meeting Killed
According to a source of Eltuz.com from the district department…
Mother Loses Baby while Doctors Harvest Cotton
Medical Workers Mobilised for Harvest Complain for Poor Conditions in Cotton Fields
400 employees of the Kashkadarya branch of the Republican Scientific…
First-Year College Students Forcibly Mobilized to Harvest Cotton
First-year college students in the Ferghana region are being…
Head Doctor of Chinaz’s (Tashkent region) Polyclinic Fired for Failing to Mobilize Sufficient Number of Employees for Cotton Harvest
According to witnesses, the Khokim (local governor) of Chinaz…
“We are Forced to Pick Cotton and Pay for Renovating a Hospital”
"The deputy director of the Central Hospital in the city…
“We are Forced to Pick Cotton in Bushes full of Thorns”
Some people mobilized to pick cotton in the Chinaz district of…
„I did not know that it is possible to call somewhere and complain that I have been sent to harvest cotton. Although I could, I still did not call“.
I teach in the Kokand City College of Computer Technologies.…
Uzbekistan’s Imams Declare Picking Cotton is Mandatory in Islam
In Uzbekistan the imams of mosques are calling on worshipers…
“Statement of the Ministry of Labour of Uzbekistan is simply eyewash”
The Uzbek Ministry of Labour made an official statement about…
“Second-year students assault us to forcibly make us pick cotton”
A student from Samarkand complained to Radio Ozodlik about problems…
“I cannot leave my disabled husband at home to pick cotton”
"I work as a nurse. My husband is a disabled man of the second…
“People who do not fulfill the cotton quota are imprisoned in kennels at the local police office”
“The Khokim of the Chinaz district Makhmud Eshonov, the head…
“Mirziyoev is coming! Students are moved from picking cotton to cleaning streets”
According to Radio Ozodlik, college students picking cotton in…
Health Professionals from Angren Forced to Harvest Cotton in Buka district
On September 23, 2016 the activists Malokhat Eshonkulova and…
The Public Education Departments happen to be the organizers of the forced mobilization of educational workers
Since September 20, educators living in the city of Buka (Tashkent…
“Most of the summer we spent in the fields rather than at work”
Interview with the Doctor,. 18 September 2016.
I am a…
“You work like a slave from morning till night, not enough food, and should sleep and wake up hungry again”
I'm studying at the Andijan Agricultural Institute, the Faculty…
Physicians from Quyichirchiq District pick cotton under supervision of the Federation of Labor Unions
On September 25, 2016, the human rights activist Elena Urlaeva…
Students from Ferghana are forced to walk for 2 hours every day to reach a cotton field
Students of the Tashkent Medical Academy's branch in Ferghana…
The Head of Kyzyryk District Forced People to Pick Cotton until Morning
On September 22 the head of administration of the Kyzyryk district…
Entrepreneurs from Asaka are forced to pay a “cotton tax”
This message was sent to Ozodlik by one of its readers from the…
“Why should I leave my kid and pick cotton?”
“I was born in 1994 in Andijan. I have a child. I was accepted…
Uzbeks migrants returning back home to change their passports fall into the “cotton trap”
One of the followers of Ozodlik sent a message about the ways…
Alimony payers are punished with cotton harvest mobilization
One of the readers messaged Ozodlik to tell about the ways of…
Statements of “voluntary participation” in the cotton harvest are an additional mockery of the people
This year’s forced mobilization of people to the cotton fields…
Teachers and Employees of Educational Institutions in the city of Gulistan in the Syrdarya Region Mobilised to Harvest Cotton on a Daily Basis
Everyday at 6am employees of educational institutions gather…
Woman suffered a miscarriage during the cotton harvest in Uzbekistan
Forced to pick cotton, 28-year-old Dilarom Juraev, living in…
Forced Deployment of Bus Drivers to the Cotton Fields Overloading Bus Capacity in Tashkent
Since the beginning of the cotton harvest in Tashkent, the number…
New President, Old Habits
Uzbekistan's acting President Shavkat Mirziyoev has ordered the…
Teachers and doctors in Buka are harvesting cotton
Elena Urlaeva went to the Buka district in the Tashkent region…
Parents who refuse to pay for cotton harvest must pick cotton on their own
“Parents of kids studying at schools in the Asaka district…
“If you don’t pick cotton, you will be expelled from the university”
A disabled student from Tashkent is being forced to pick cotton.…
Educational Institutions in Gulistan (Syrdarya region) mobilized to Harvest Cotton
In the town of Gulistan (Syrdarya region), there are about 16…
Pregnant women suffered a miscarriage on the cotton fields
This piece of information was sent to us by one of the cotton…
“People come back home after having picked cotton and have no electricity”
The following message was received from one of the numerous people…
Half of the employees of the veterinary hospital in Namangan sent to harvest cotton
Exactly half of the 47 employees of the veterinary hospital in…
Makhalla administration forces mothers of infant to pick cotton
Mothers receiving child benefits from the state are also forced…
Management staff demands up to 150 $ for exempting people from the harvest
With the beginning of the seasonal cotton harvest in Uzbekistan,…
Kindergarten teacher fired for non-participation in the cotton harvest
In the Kattakurgan District of the Samarkand region, a kindergarten…
No gas supply to Gallaorol
Nabijon Jurboev, one of the residents of the Gallaorol district…
“You dont have the right to refuse orders of the acting president!”
“You dont have the right to refuse orders of the acting president!”,…
Tashkent Medical Workers Forced to Pick Cotton
Since September 15, workers at the Polyclinic № 28 in the Yashnabad…
Students of the Graphic Arts Department at the Ferghana State University mobilized to harvest cotton
Students of the Graphic Arts Department at the Ferghana State…
Medical workers from Chinoz and Yangiyo’l districts of the Tashkent region forcibly mobilized to pick cotton
Medical workers from Chinoz and Yangiyo’l districts of the…
Residents of the Quyi Chirchiq district in the Tashkent region forcibly mobilized to the cotton fields
Residents of the Quyi Chirchiq district in the Tashkent region…
A Letter of “voluntary” participation in the cotton harvest
To the Dean and Associate Professor of the …
Students and teachers of the Jizzakh State Pedagogical Institute mobilized for cotton picking
Students and teachers of the Jizzakh State Pedagogical Institute…
Medical and educational workers in the Buka district forcibly sent out to harvest cotton
Attention! Help doctors and teachers to break free from slavery…
“Departure was supervised by Khokimiyat’s officials, the Syrdarya prosecution office and police”
There are almost 4 000 students and more than 350 teachers working…
“I am going to get imprisoned tomorrow for failing to pay a fee for the military reserve mobilization in advance. Where is the justice”
The following lines are taken from the Facebook page of one of…
Message from a student of the Jizzakh Pedagogical University
"I have not gone to pick cotton last year, neither did I pay…
Nurses failing to fulfil daily cotton quotas are threatened with dismissal
September 15, 2016
Employees of Kokand’s (Ferghana region)…
Teachers and doctors are sent to “aerate” cotton fields
According to an order by the Khokim (governor) of the Jizzakh…
Doctors in neurosurgery center in Tashkent paid hundred million Som to avoid collecting cotton
This year the Republican Scientific Center of Neurosurgery, stationed…
Students of the University of Karshi have been forcibly sent to pick cotton
On September 7, students from the Karshi City Pedagogical University…
University student in the Andijan region died during the cotton harvest
According to the data available to Radio Ozodlik, the 20-years-old…
“Parents are raising money to provide their children with better education”
This piece of information is coming from the elementary school…
Uzbek students mobilized to pick cotton on a “voluntary” basis
Uzbekistan began to send university students to harvest cotton.…
Shop owners at Abu Sahiy market in Tashkent extorted to make contributions to the cotton harvest
The administration of Tashkent’s Abu Sahiy market, which embraces…
School principals forced to deposit cash
In connection with the 25th anniversary of Uzbek Independence,…
Employees of Tashkent’s public institutions are forced to harvest cotton in the Jizzakh Region
On September 13, a group of medical workers from the Clinic No.13…
Money first, cotton right after: Uzbek doctors to be taken to the fields in a week time
Looking at the current situation on the eve of the Uzbek cotton…
Uzbek doctors to be sent to cotton harvest
The Asia-Terra website reported that Uzbek doctors were given…
“Must pick cotton in any case”
The head of the State Institute of Foreign Languages in Samarkand…
“Preparations for the cotton harvest have kicked in”
In the beginning of September, during a meeting that took place…
Mobilization to the Cotton Fields to start on September 10
During a gathering on September 5, the Khokim of the Jizzakh…
Cotton propaganda campaign in local communities
In the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan, preparations for the forthcoming…
Tashkent factory extorts money from its employees for the cotton harvest
The Tashkent oil and fat factory’s (“Тошкент ёғ-мой…
Uzbeks Subjected to Forced-Labor Wonder if the Worms are Luckier
As temperatures push 100 degrees F (44 C), teachers, doctors,…
Teachers, Doctors and Nurses forced to Prune Cotton Plants
Uzbek government officials are once again forcing public sector…
Everyone went to weed cotton
Today, Uzbek farmers have a good deal of work to do. The fields…
UGF monitoring of the weeding season 2016
In Uzbekistan the weeding of the cotton fields began at…
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CHRONICLE OF FORCED LABOR, Issue 1, 2016
CHRONICLE OF FORCED LABOR, Issue 2, 2016
more facts, texts, images, prints, … coming soon!
El-Tuz
El Tuz is a satirical web-magazine featuring articles, cartoons, polemics and jokes. It is an arena that reflects political mood in Uzbekistan…
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Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights e.V. shared El-Tuz's photo.
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foreignpolicy.com
A new report from Human Rights Watch and Uzbek activists alleges the continued use of forced and child labor in harvesting the Central Asian country’s…
Forced labor, including children - linked to World Bank
hrw.org
Each year Uzbekistan, one of the world’s largest exporters of cotton, forces many people, including children, to work in the cotton fields for weeks in arduous conditions. Nurses and teachers are am...
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The World Bank is funding half a billion dollars in agricultural projects linked to forced and child labor in Uzbekistan. Under the loan agreements, the Uzbe...