Cotton Campaign Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
87th session (29 January – 16 February 2024) / Sixth Periodic Report of Turkmenistan
The Cotton Campaign submits the following information in advance of the forthcoming review of Turkmenistan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (hereafter “the Committee”) regarding its adherence to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (hereafter “the Convention”).
This submission presents evidence on the prevalence of widespread and systematic state-imposed forced labour in the annual cotton harvest and its specific impacts on women, who make up the majority of citizens mobilised in the harvest. This information is relevant to Article 6 (trafficking) and Article 11 (employment) of the Convention. It specifically responds to question 12 of the List of Issues on steps taken to prohibit the practice of unpaid work during the cotton harvest.
We call on the Government of Turkmenistan to take immediate and effective measures to end state-imposed forced labour in the cotton harvest and to incorporate gender-responsive policies and practices in the reform process. The Government has an obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil the human and labour rights of women in Turkmenistan, including the right to free choice of profession and employment, as laid out in Article 11.1 (c) of the Convention, and the right to be free from trafficking for the purposes of forced labour, as relevant to Article 6 of the Convention. We ask that the Committee’s recommendations to the State party support this call.
Suggested questions for the state-party review
What measures have been taken by the Government to eliminate forced labour in the cotton harvest, including to eliminate production quotas for cotton, ensure that state employees are protected from forced mobilisation, prosecute perpetrators, and provide remedy to victims?
What measures will the Government take to ensure that women have the right to free choice of profession and employment, including in relation to the annual cotton harvest?
What measures have been taken by the Government to encourage the organising of women, including the creation of women’s associations and organisations to represent their interests and defend their rights, in and outside of work?
What measures have been taken by the Government to create the space for women’s rights activists, civil and human rights defenders, and independent journalists, to operate without risking harassment and detention for doing their work, including to report on conditions of forced labour in the cotton harvest?
