Disengagement In Cases Of State-Imposed Forced Labor [OECD Side Session]
On February 13, 2025, the Cotton Campaign and the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labor jointly hosted a side session at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector: Cotton and Cotton Products Made With State-Imposed Forced Labor: When Disengagement Is The Only Responsible Course Of Action.
The session addressed state-imposed forced labor in global apparel supply chains, with a focus on two emblematic cases:
forced labor of state employees in the annual cotton harvest in Turkmenistan and
forced labor of Uyghurs in China, within and outside the Uyghur Region.
State-imposed forced labor is systemic and is enforced at all levels of government. In such contexts, disengagement from all direct and indirect business relationships is the only responsible course of action under the OECD Guidelines and the UNGPs. This is critical as it relates to compliance with the recently adopted CSDDD in the EU, as well as forced labor import prohibitions such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), the Withhold Release Order (WRO) on Turkmen cotton under the Tariff Act, and the upcoming EU Forced Labor Regulation.
The session addressed:
How companies cannot use or increase leverage to prevent or remediate forced labor
Barriers to engaging in credible and effective due diligence on the ground to effect change for workers
Common concerns on disengagement, including unintended consequences for workers
Practical steps companies should take to identify and eliminate exposure
Panelists:
Ruslan Myatiev - Director, Turkmen News
Raluca Dumitrescu - Senior Coordinator Cotton Campaign, Global Labor Justice
Jewher Ilham - Forced Labor Project Coordinator, Worker Rights Consortium
Giles Bolton - Executive Director, Ethical Trading Initiative
Samira Rafaella - Visiting Fellow, Cornell University’s Global Labor Institute and Former Member of European Parliament
Chair: Chloe Cranston, Head of Thematic Advocacy, Anti-Slavery International
Resources mentioned in the recording:
Analysis of the EU Forced Labour Regulation by Anti-Slavery International and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, 2024
The dark side of the tomato trade – ETI responds to BBC documentary, ETI statement which includes guidance to companies with respect to the Uyghur Region, 2024
Call to action on human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labor
Compilation of resources that evidence links between global supply chains and Uyghur forced labor: Reports - Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour
Cotton Campaign press releases calling on machine manufacturers to end investments into the Turkmen textile industry because of state-imposed forced labor in the cotton harvest:
Italian Textile Machinery Companies Profit From Turkmen Forced Labor, 2024
German Businesses Should Stop All Investments in Turkmenistan’s Textile Industry, 2023
Forbidden Stories investigation, Forced labor in cotton fields: the lethal persecution of a Turkmen journalist, 2024
