Uzbekistan: UNICEF Visitor: Child Labor Assessment Not

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001459

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/08/20
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: UNICEF Visitor: Child Labor Assessment Not
Possible This Year

REF: TASHKENT 1421; TASHKENT 1431

CLASSIFIED BY: Holly Lindquist Thomas, P/E Officer, Tashkent; REASON:
1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Summary: UNICEF visiting Senior Child Protection
Advisor Joanne Dunn met with DCM and poloff Monday, August 17 to
discuss child labor and the upcoming cotton harvest. Dunn stated
that it is "way too late" for an assessment to be planned and
implemented during this year's cotton harvest. She discussed the
likelihood of an assessment in the future, noting that the ILO has
conditioned an assessment on a public admission that forced child
labor exists in Uzbekistan. She also discussed trends in this area
and UNICEF's next steps. End summary.



Likelihood of an ILO Assessment

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2. (C) The cotton harvest in Uzbekistan generally begins in
September and continues through October and sometimes into
November, depending on rain levels and whether state-imposed quotas
have been met. Last winter and spring, the international community
was fairly uniform in calling on the GOU to invite an independent
organization into the country to conduct a comprehensive assessment
of the use of child labor in the cotton sector, which could then be
used as an accepted baseline for discussing the problem and taking
strides to address it. Unfortunately, the GOU has not issued a
formal invitation, and according to Dunn, it is "way too late" for
an assessment to be planned and implemented during the 2009
harvest.




3. (C) Although there may be other organizations that in
theory could conduct an objective assessment, there seems to be
general consensus among stakeholders that for Uzbekistan to show
the world it is making a serious attempt to address child labor, it
must invite the International Labor Organization (ILO) to do the
assessment. According to Dunn, however, the ILO requires two
things from the GOU in addition to an invitation: 1) a public
acknowledgment that forced child labor exists in Uzbekistan; and 2)
absolute freedom in conducting a survey. Dunn stated that even if
an invitation to do the assessment were forthcoming, the ILO is
unlikely to perform an assessment without the public admission of
guilt required in the first condition. (Comment: This is the
first post has heard of these preconditions. While the second is a
legitimate demand, the first is rather surprising, in that a public
admission is neither critical for conducting a survey nor likely
with a regime that consistently responds negatively to shaming
tactics. End comment.)




4. (C) Dunn stated that she believes that if the ILO truly
wanted to come in to Uzbekistan, it could do so on the basis of
Uzbekistan's ratification and initial reporting under ILO 182, the
Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the
Elimination for the Worst Forms of Child Labor. She stated that
the ILO is reluctant to do so at least in part due to strong NGO
and union caucuses that argue that coming into Uzbekistan at all
risks lending credibility to the Karimov regime. She also
mentioned that the GOU-ILO relationship has been strained since the
GOU made things difficult for the Tashkent-based ILO office,
forcing its departure. She also said, however, that the ILO
Director intends to visit Tashkent later this month, and that
successful high-level meetings during that visit could help to get
the relationship back on track. Whether or not the GOU-ILO
relationship improves, however, any negotiations of an assessment
will have to be directed at the 2010 harvest.



Trends

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5. (U) Dunn cited some positive trends in the area of child
labor over the past year. For example, she cited a Soros
Foundation Report showing that in 2008, child labor was directed
more toward older, rural children than it has been in the past.
She also highlighted that it is now possible to talk about child
labor in a political context, and that UNICEF is having some
success with trainings and outreach programs (see reftels). She
also mentioned a new initiative: the GOU recently set up a child
labor hotline that is accessible to people in every province who
have questions or concerns over child labor. Dunn stated that on a
more macro level, the GOU has had some success diversifying its
economy, thereby becoming less dependent on the cotton crop.




6. (U) Dunn also mentioned that some efforts to force
Uzbekistan's hand on this issue have so far not been effective.
She cited an International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) report
finding that Uzbekistan has had no problem selling its cotton on
the international market, and thus the Walmart-led boycott of Uzbek
cotton has had little effect. She stated that ICAC has also
concluded that Uzbekistan will never truly mechanize (an oft-cited
measure proposed to reduce child labor),first because it is too
expensive, and second because mechanization would devalue the
cotton itself, as hand-picked cotton sells for a higher price on
the world market.



Next Steps for UNICEF

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7. (C) Dunn agreed that the GOU could do much more to address
the child labor problem, and that raising salaries to a level where
adult workers would take jobs in the fields could largely solve the
child labor problem. Looking forward, Dunn stated that UNICEF
intends to conduct a technical economic analysis this fall, which
will include an in-depth look at the true costs of using child
labor (both economic and educational costs) versus the cost of
using adult labor. They intend to recommend possible solutions, as
well, and Dunn will be discussing with World Bank representatives
later this week whether the World Bank could conceivably pay the
difference in the costs associated with paying adults. UNICEF will
also continue its existing outreach program, which will include a
survey to get a better understanding of attitudes toward child
labor.



Comment

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8. (C) Regardless of the reason, the ILO may well be
reluctant to conduct an assessment in Uzbekistan. It seems to be
the only institution that is both capable of performing the
assessment and well-respected enough that its results would be
accepted throughout the international community, however. For that
reason, post believes we should continue to push the GOU to
formally invite the ILO to assess the use of child labor in the
cotton harvest. For the ILO to refuse or impose unrealistic
conditions lends legitimacy to GOU claims that it is taking
appropriate steps to address child labor.



NORLAND
NORLAND