US State Department recognizes successes of Uzbekistan in combating human trafficking

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The US State Department raised the level of Uzbekistan from the 3rd category of the countries to the 2nd category in the annual report on the situation with human trafficking for 2017, published on 28 June 2018, thereby recognizing the significant achievements of the country in the sphere of the protection of workers’ rights. This was reported by the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.

Indeed, in a relatively short period of time, the country’s leadership has taken unprecedented measures to ensure compliance with labor rights, most of which have been confirmed in the assessments of the US foreign policy department.

Thus, the report notes that the rise in the country’s level is due to the "key successes achieved by the government", which include "taking significant steps to end the use of forced labor of adults during the annual cotton harvest by increasing the amount of remuneration to collectors, as well as purchase prices for cotton, the termination of the involvement of students and, in part, individuals working in other budgetary organizations, as well as ensuring full unimpeded access to independent international observers ".

The document separately emphasizes the recognition by international observers and representatives of the civil society of the country of the fact that systematic child labor has been eradicated. Also, Uzbekistan has consistently fulfilled its international obligations under the conventions of the International Labor Organization, including their recommendations, as well as the Decent Work Country Program.

It is reported about the introduction of a feedback mechanism (MOC) aimed at raising public awareness of guarantees of protection of labor rights, as well as organizational and legal measures to prevent trafficking in human beings, creating the necessary conditions for the rehabilitation of victims of such crimes.

The positive results of the US Department of State were also supported by the results of monitoring in September-October 2017 by the ILO and the World Bank of the cotton picking campaign in Uzbekistan. Then the experts of these organizations conducted interviews with more than 3 thousand people, visited about 500 schools, medical institutions and enterprises. Representatives of these international organizations recognized the government’s efforts to prevent the involvement of students, health and education workers in cotton harvesting, pay increases, and the involvement of the unemployed part of the population in this process.

During a recent visit to Uzbekistan by the American NGO Cotton Campaign, which calls for the elimination of forced and child labor in cotton production in the world, representatives of this organization noted that this year the situation in this area in the republic has significantly improved, thanks to the political will and commitment of the leadership countries.

Moreover, during the official visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States, the head of the White House, Donald Trump, welcomed the ambitious program of reforms of the leadership of Uzbekistan aimed at improving the human rights situation in the country, noting the elimination of systematic child labor and significant progress in reducing the scale of forced labor.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the report as a whole is balanced, takes into account the overall positive dynamics in the total eradication of child labor in Uzbekistan and the adoption of radical measures to prevent forced labor in the country.

At the same time, it should be noted that the consistent transformations in this area are dictated primarily by the implementation of the Strategy of Action for the five priority development directions in 2017-2021 in the name of the interests of the people of Uzbekistan.