Progress or perception? Forced labor still stains cotton harvest in Turkmenistan

The government in Turkmenistan has been targeted by labor advocacy groups for over a decade due to their use of forced labor in the annual cotton harvest. And there have been reforms recently to try and address the most fundamental of those issues. But according to just style, a new report conducted through independent civil society monitoring of last year’s cotton harvest points to forced labor still tainting the supply-chain.  

Half done is only just begun

After a decade of independent monitoring, advocacy, and campaigning by Turkmen NGOs in exile, the government beginning to act. To enhance the autonomy of workers and farmers while enabling independent oversight and reporting, the government is implementing reforms. However, advocates argue that these reforms remain insufficient. Cotton Campaign coalition senior coordinator Raluca Dumitrescu notes that although the reforms are a step in the right direction, they are merely initial measures, and further actions are necessary to effectively diminish forced labor during the harvest.

Dumitrescu said:  

“…dismantling the forced labor system requires not just changes to mobilization of pickers but also reforms that emphasize fundamental human and labor rights.” 

For the reforms to have any hope of success, local activists, workers and farmers need to be included.  

Dumitrescu stated:  

“The Turkmen government must stop punishing activists who speak out about abuses in the cotton sector and should take concrete steps to empower workers and farmers.” 

The new report is titled Turkmenistan Cotton: State-Imposed Forced Labor In The 2024 Harvest And Links To Global Supply Chains. According to the research, coercive labor practices are still being used extensively and systematically during the harvest. While reforms included items like not drafting doctors and teachers in certain areas, raising picking rates to promote voluntary labor, abuse was still widespread. As in previous years, investigators found there was forced mobilization of public sector employees by authorities and institution leaders. Extortion was also used to force participation in cotton picking or force employees to finance substitute laborers.  

Government commitment remains uncertain 

One of the issues is that the government’s commitment to eliminating forced labor is vague and unclear. According to The Cotton Campaign the government has never publicly denounced forced labor as wrong. It has also to date never held officials who engage in forced labor accountable under the law. According to investigators, employees from various public institutions, including education, healthcare and utility were extorted or compelled to work. And while ILO observers were permitted to monitor the harvest, their access was restricted to particular state employees. The government exerted influence on others to deny any forced mobilization. 

Ruslan Myatiev, director of Turkmen. News said:  

“The government accepted engagement with the ILO to address forced labor in the harvest, which is important. But equally important, governments and international organizations including the ILO, should not take success for granted. Instead, they should increase the pressure on the Turkmen government to make real progress in eliminating state-imposed forced labor.”  

The supply chain for Turkmenistan’s cotton is purposefully set up to obfuscate traceability. Combine that with stifling of free speech and you have an environment so oppressive meaningful due diligence is almost impossible. Even bans, like the 2018 Turkmen cotton import ban enacted by the US, are ineffective when companies cannot thoroughly and accurately trace their supply chains.

Freedom United stands beside the Cotton Campaign in calling on the Turkmen government to stop with the half-hearted measures and put people before profit. It’s high time to make a real commitment to ending forced labor in the Turkmenistan supply chain. Put the pressure on by signing our petition for all governments to pass mandatory human rights due diligence laws to demand corporate accountability.