Wal-Mart takes action on Uzbekistan child labor |
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| Tuesday, 30 September 2008 | |
 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it has told its global suppliers to stop using cotton from Uzbekistan as a way to pressure the government to stop using forced child labor to harvest cotton. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, said instructions to suppliers to stop buying cotton and cotton
materials from Uzbekistan came after months of work with industry trade associations, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and socially responsible investment groups.
With Wal-Mart's active participation, four industry trade groups, the American Association of Footwear and Apparel, Retail Industry Leaders Association, National Retail Federation, and the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel sent a joint letter to the Embassy of Uzbekistan on August 18, demanding an immediate end to the use of forced child labor in cotton harvesting On September 12, the Uzbekistan government issued a plan detailing steps to stop the use of child labor. Wal-Mart says it will change its instructions to its suppliers when it can independently verify that Uzbekistan has ended the practice.
The Central Asian country of Uzbekistan is among the world's top cotton exporters. pic uzbekistan.neweurasia.net |
"We have formed an unprecedented coalition, representing 90 percent of the U.S. purchases of cotton and cotton-based merchandise, to bring these appalling child labor conditions to an end," Rajan Kamalanathan, Wal-Mart's vice president of ethical standards, said. "There is no tolerance for forced child labor in the Wal-Mart supply chain."