February 14, 2016
Hereby we are demanding that an investigation be launched into the use of the forced labor in connection with the World Bank projects!
This is also an Open Public Petition to the World Bank’s Independent Inspection Council, requesting an inquiry into that matter.
Dear Executive Secretary of the World Bank’s Independent Inspection Council:
We, the undersigned independent journalist and human rights activist Malohat Eshonkulova and a human rights campaigner Elena Urlaeva from Uzbekistan, are writing you with a request to initiate the relevant procedures of the World Bank’s Independent Inspection Council in connection with the use of the forced labour of adults and children in the cotton fields in 2015.
As regulations and procedures of the World Bank are supposed to ensure provision of social and economic benefits within the World Bank-funded projects and programs, without inflicting any harm on the population and environment, – hereby we’d like to inform you of the damage done in 2015 to the population of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan in connection with the projects funded by the World Bank in the regions of Uzbekistan and in the Southern Karakalpakstan during cotton growing agricultural work.
We believe that in that matter the World Bank has violated its own procedures and regulations of its operations policy, and such malpractice is causing harm to the population.
In 2015 the World Bank was implementing in Uzbekistan the projects aimed at modernizing agriculture in Uzbekistan, water resources projects in Karakalpakstan, and the project “Southern Karakalpakstan”, which received funding for the improved practices of cotton growing.
However, our 2015 inquiry has revealed the use of the forced labor for weeding cotton fields and cotton harvesting in several regions of Uzbekistan, – namely in Tashkent, Syrdarya, Jizak, Khorezm, Kashkadarya, Samarkand and Bukhara Provinces of Uzbekistan, and also in three districts of Karakalpakstan, namely in Beruniy, Turtkul and Ellikkala Districts. So we’d like to inform you that in these regions, where Uzbekistan’s government is implementing the World Bank projects, there has been mass mobilization of people for the forced labor in the cotton fields, including doctors, teachers, local government employees, policemen, fire fighters, prisoners, students of the higher education institutions, college students including children, school boys and girls, who were forced by the government to weed cotton fields and pick cotton. In the process many of them were taken to the remote areas for many days.
Besides, there were numerous cases of money extortion for letting some people evade forced labor. Money was extorted even from the college students, who are just 17 year old children. For example, the director of the regional teachers college in Tashkent, Akmal Rejepov demanded 700 000 Sum (Note: Sum is the name of the Uzbek national currency) from the parents of the 17 year old female student Negin Ganiyeva, who just could not do cotton picking work for the poor heath reasons. The phone number for the father of Negin, Bakhodir Malikov is + 998933787517. He filed a statement with the local police complaining of extortion.
There were also labor accidents and even fatalities in the course of the above said agricultural work. For example, an employee of a private firm named Ziyaviddin, born 1975, died while working for days on end as a forced cotton picker in Dustlik, Jizak Province.
A local official in the Khazarasp District of Khorezm Ragion, Uktam Kurbanov coerced local post office workers into picking cotton at night time, because they could not meet their assigned cotton picking targets during day time.
As evidence, journalist Malohat Eshonkulova tape-recorded the above said local official giving such orders.
There were also instances when local officials even beat up doctors and farmers for failing to meet their assigned daily cotton picking targets. For example, such outrages were perpetrated by the local official of Kuychirchik District named Jahongir (his phone number is +998951955100), by the local mayor of Khazarasp District, Khorezm Region, – Uktam Kurbanov, and by a local mayor in Jizak Province. For instance, the local mayor of Buka District, Tashkent Province, – Davron Sultanov, – during a period from May until July 19, 2015, – forced doctors and teachers of this district to weed cotton fields starting from 6 a.m. On July 19, 2015, because of intense heat of above 45 degrees Centigrade four young female medics fainted and collapsed in the field.
The facts that forced labor of medical workers, teachers and college students was used in the cotton fields in Buka District, Kibray Region and the city of Angren can be corroborated by evidence from the witnesses from the operational HQ #2 of the local government office of Buka, viz a local government official Sokhibjon Oripov (his tel. numbers are +998903168284, +99893 6014745), a representative of the organization “Kamolot” Nodira Sametova (her tel. number is +998942146763), Khulkar Pozilova from “Kamolot” (her tel. number is +99894634 3020), Sherzod Jurayev from “Kamolot” (his tel. number is +99893628 63 08), Davron Bahromov, a staffer of the local government office (his tel. number is +998943630064), Sherzod Rahmatulayev, an employee of the local government office (his tel. number is +998935133301), Shoira Egambazarova from “Kamolot” (her. tel. number +998901213545).
Besides, the mass bussing of employees, turned forced laborer, of various State organizations, numbering up to 12 thousand people, from the city of Angren to Buka District for cotton harvesting for the two months period has been evidenced by publication in the newspaper “The Truth of Angren” of September 11, 2015, narrating that mobilization of medics, teachers, military cadets, staffers of the company “AngrenNeftTrans” and others was superintended by the following local government officials of the city of Angren: I. Rahmanov, local prosecutor A. Abunabieyv and local police chief Ibragimov.
Moreover, Uzbekistan’s authorities forbad journalists and human rights campaigners to inquire into and report about what is going on in the cotton sector. During our visits to the cotton fields, police repeatedly arrested, questioned and humiliatingly frisked us. They stripped us naked, and even probed into our sexual organs looking for flashcards. They even went as far as x-raying Elena Urlaeva, suspecting her of swallowing her flashcard.
However, despite all that harassment, obstruction, detentions and death threats, – we have obtained and have available the related photo, video and audio evidence of the mass forced labor of the residents of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, and we are ready to provide that evidence to you.
Because of the use of the forced labor in the course of implementation of the World Bank’s projects in Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, citizens of our State have suffered harm to their life and health while working amid intense heat, absence of sufficient drinking water and food supplies, while lifting heavy bales of cotton and lingering in bad living conditions in the open fields.
In addition, the people suffered from being coerced into providing forced donations of money and food to the cotton picking companies. Such mandatory donations have been secretly extorted by the State.
Besides, one should add to the above said the moral harm done by such practices to the population of our State, – as virtually every citizen has been turned into a dumb slave, and every citizen’s honor and dignity has been humiliated.
We have discussed all above mentioned problems in the cotton sector during our private meetings with representatives of the World Bank in Uzbekistan, and such meetings also involved officials of the World Labor Organization and representatives of the US Embassy in Uzbekistan. However, all entreaties of the World Bank have failed to effect in any way the continuing government practices, and have failed to put a stop to the continuing use of the forced labor in Uzbekistan.
We, Malohat Eshonkulova and Elena Urlaeva, represent a risk-prone pressure group “Fearless”.
We reside in the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Malohat Eshonkulova resides in the city of Tashkent, in the residential area “Chilanzar”, house #23, appt. 39, his contact phone number is +99893570 17 47, his email address is: malohateshonkulov@gmail.com.
Elena Urlaeva also resides in the city of Tashkent, in the residential area “Feruza”, house #56, appt. 53, her contact tel. number is +998933921784, her email address is: elena.urlaeva@gmail.com.
Hereby we are urging you to hold an inquiry into the mass use of the forced labor, including child labor, during weeding of cotton fields and cotton harvesting in the regions of Uzbekistan where the World Bank projects have been implemented.
Hereby we are requesting the Inspection Council to recommend Executive Directors of the World Bank to look into the above said facts and issues.
Sincerely,
Malohat Eshonkulova, Elena Urlaeva
Tashkent, Uzbekistan