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Uzbekistan May Stand To Benefit In Textile Exports If EU Parliament Grants Benefit Of Doubt

Hoping that rewards for good behavior will ensure further reforms, the European Parliament is all set to vote again on the EU-Uzbekistan Textiles Protocol the coming December, a good five years after its earlier rejection.

Uzbekistan had to face the cold shoulder from the European Union since 2011 for using child labor and forced adult labor in its textile production units. Referring to this anomaly, the European Union parliamentarians had rejected the protocol and sent it back to the European commission. The resolution passed by the parliamentarians stated, “Parliament will only consider the consent if the ILO [International Labor Organization] observers have been granted access by the Uzbek authorities to undertake close and unhindered monitoring and have confirmed that concrete reforms have been implemented and yielded substantial results in such a way that the practice of forced labour and child labour is effectively in the process of being eradicated both at national and local levels.”

Recently the International Trade committee (INTA) voted in favour of reconsideration of the protocol with an overwhelming majority of 31 to 4. The poll took place on November 10 and it has asked the European Parliament to reconsider their decision when they convene a meeting in December 2016. In a press statement issued to wire agency Reuters, the rapporteur Maria Arena said “The progress made by the Uzbek authorities allows us to move forward and include textiles in our partnership agreement. But we will remain extremely vigilant.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of human rights groups had made a representation to INTA that consent to the protocol be denied. The activists stated in a letter, “Adopting the textile protocol now would contradict the principles of the European Union’s foreign policy, and ignore strong evidence of the government’s persistent and continued use of forced labour on a massive, nationwide scale in Uzbekistan.”

A good two years after the 2011 rejection, in 2013, Uzbekistan started permitting the ILO to monitor the annual harvest. Owing to the severe handicap posed by the boycott faced from major clothing manufacturers, Uzbekistan drastically cut down on the usage of child labor.

In 2015, the ILO reported back stating, “The use of children in the cotton harvest has become rare, sporadic and socially unacceptable, even if ongoing vigilance is needed.”

Human rights organizations however, contended that Uzbekistan instead of using child labour has adopted the strategy of increased forced adult labour. “It continues to assert pressure with a demanding production quota system. They also pointed out that independent monitors are being harassed.