Catherwood LibraryILR School

Following the publication of a joint report on Uzbekistan’s use of child and forced labor in its cotton industry by the Human Rights Watch and the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim met with Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to press him on the country’s myriad labor abuses. At this meeting, Kim urged Mirziyoyev to address these human rights issues and release individuals who were performing manual labor under threat of the government, including children. Nearly 200,000 students, medical professionals, and teachers were freed by the Uzbekistani government directly after this meeting, presumably under implicit threat of World Bank sanctions. While these individuals were allegedly relieved of this forced labor, covert sources have reported that many of them were recalled to work in the cotton fields following their release, were instructed not to reveal their true professions, and have had wages for replacement workers taken out of their own wages. While this was a step in the right direction in confronting world leaders about their countries’ labor violations, forced labor continues to be a persistent issue in Uzbekistan.