AZERBAIJAN: POST FINDINGS ON COTTON CHILD LABOR

UNCLAS BAKU 000159 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR EUR/PGI PLEASE PASS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR EIND ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: POST FINDINGS ON COTTON CHILD LABOR ISSUE REF: STATE 1730 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy Baku contacted NGO's and local experts to discuss child labor in Azerbaijan's cotton fields in accordance with reftel. Agriculture experts in Azerbaijan note that cotton production in the country has significantly/massively declined since Soviet times, continuing that trend in recent years. Reports of child labor in remaining cotton fields have not been evident, and have not come to the attention of the Embassy or the NGO community. ¶2. (SBU) Embassy FSN who previously worked at a children's rights organization is unaware of any current complaints in Azerbaijan about child labor in the cotton harvest. Tarana Sharifova of the National Association of Parents and Teachers confirmed this sentiment, noting that parents in rural areas are not complaining of labor violations or practices. Embassy assesses that previous Department of Labor information, gathered for the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA),Section 105(b),may be now out of date, reflecting reports out of Azerbaijan in years long past. DERSE