VZCZCXRO0383
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHNEH RUEHPOD
RUEHPW RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #1589/01 3211346
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171345Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1542
INFO ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0055
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0248
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 001589 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
SCA/RA 
G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV KCRM KTIP KWMN SMIG UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: TIP Interim Assessment 
 
¶1.       (U) In response to reftel, post submits the following 
information for the TIP Interim Assessment on Uzbekistan. 
 
 
 
¶A.      Substantive Action to End the Use of Forced Labor During 
the Cotton Harvest 
 
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Uzbekistan took some steps to end forced labor during the annual 
cotton harvest, specifically addressing child labor.  The Ministry 
of Labor and Social Protection (MoL) on June 26 issued a list of 
jobs with unfavorable working conditions in which children below 
the age of 18 cannot be involved.  Cotton picking was specifically 
noted on that list.  Further, legislation is currently in the lower 
house of parliament (Oliy Majlis) that reportedly will impose 
penalties for involving children in such jobs.  The Ministry of 
Education (MoE) reported in October that it asked school directors 
throughout the country to certify that they would not send students 
to participate in the cotton harvest.  The MoE also reported that 
it sent letters to local hokims asking them not to close the 
schools during the harvest. 
 
 
 
These advances did make some positive impacts.  Although school 
closings were reported in most districts, classes generally 
remained in operation for children under twelve years old, whereas 
in the past, younger students were directed to participate in the 
harvest.  (Note:  Younger children did participate at the direction 
of their parents, in some cases.)  In the Bukhara district, one 
analyst reported that the number of children in the fields was 
three times less than in years past.  In Namangan, a city in the 
Ferghana Valley, the regional governor explicitly directed local 
administrators not to direct children to the fields, resulting in 
significantly fewer children working in the harvest this year. 
 
 
 
The GOU did not take measurable steps to reduce adult forced labor 
in the cotton sector, and some reports suggest that more government 
workers, such as those generally providing social services, were 
sent to work in the fields this year. 
 
 
 
¶B.       Implementing the National Anti-Trafficking Action Plan 
 
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Uzbekistan continues to make progress on the implementation of its 
Anti-Trafficking Action Plan.  The National Interagency Commission 
established last year to combat TIP meets regularly and coordinates 
the actions of the various ministries involved in anti-TIP efforts. 
The MoL  has an aggressive TIP awareness campaign, working closely 
with television, radio, and newspapers to promote awareness of TIP 
issues.  The MoL has conducted seminars this year with local hokims 
(city administrators) and mahallah committees (neighborhood 
administrative units) to educate them about TIP problems.  The 
General Prosecutor's Office distributes pamphlets to border 
crossing posts for distribution to the public.  The Republican 
Rehabilitation Center, the first state-sponsored facility for 
victims of TIP, was not opened earlier in the year as expected, but 
reportedly will open before the end of this calendar year.  (Note: 
Poloff toured the facility in October, and it appeared to be in the 
final stages of preparations.)  The Ministry of Internal Affairs 
has increased its staffing for TIP monitoring throughout the 
districts.  The GOU has improved cooperation and communication with 
several other countries, conducting study trips to France, Italy, 
the UA, and Moldova, and working closely with counterparts in 
Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and the UAE.  Finally, the MoL is 
in the process of initiating a new program to assist victims of 
trafficking to find employment.  Under this program, the MoL will 
have a database of open jobs and will recommend possible 
 
TASHKENT 00001589  002 OF 003 
 
 
opportunities to victims based on their interests and locations. 
If a trafficking victim does not have adequate experience or skills 
to qualify for a job, the MoL will help with training and a stipend 
to adequately prepare the person for employment. 
 
 
 
¶C.      Continuing to work with UNICEF and Improve Cooperation with 
ILO to Reduce the Reliance on Forced Labor during the Annual Cotton 
Harvest 
 
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Uzbekistan continues to work with UNICEF to address efforts to 
reduce reliance on child labor during the annual cotton harvest. 
UNICEF conducted an awareness campaign on child labor, directed at 
parents and school administrators, throughout most districts in the 
country.  The GOU allowed UNICEF to do some monitoring of child 
labor in the cotton fields this year.  Although its report has not 
yet been completed, UNICEF states that it was able to observe 
fields in almost every district of the country.  The GOU has not 
worked in cooperation with the ILO this year. 
 
 
 
¶D.      Allowing International Experts to Conduct an Independent 
Assessment of the Use of Forced Labor during the Annual Cotton 
Harvest 
 
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Beyond the limited monitoring conducted by UNICEF, Uzbekistan has 
not invited international experts to conduct an independent 
assessment of the use of forced labor during the annual cotton 
harvest.  There were indications that a broader assessment of child 
labor throughout the Uzbek economy might be a possibility, but the 
GOU has taken no steps to develop that idea. 
 
 
 
¶E.       Investigating, Prosecuting, Convicting, and Sentencing 
Government Officials Complicit in Trafficking 
 
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Uzbekistan has not released any data on the investigation, 
prosecution, conviction, or sentencing of government officials 
complicit in trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶F.       Providing Financial or In-Kind Support to Anti-Trafficking 
NGOs to Provide Assistance and Shelter for Victims 
 
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Uzbekistan has not provided financial or in-kind support to 
anti-trafficking NGOs to provide assistance and shelter for 
victims.  Despite this, NGOs have reported continued good relations 
with government interlocutors.  They reported receiving support in 
things like managing relations with the neighbors of the shelter in 
Tashkent and in developing new programs to help victims of 
trafficking find employment. 
 
 
 
¶G.     Taking Steps to Establish Additional Shelters Outside of 
Tashkent 
 
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The MoL reported in November that it is looking at various regional 
 
TASHKENT 00001589  003 OF 003 
 
 
centers to determine where the next shelter for victims of TIP 
should be placed, and will base the location on the number of 
victims reported in each region.  The Ferghana Valley and the 
Samarkand/Bukhara areas were mentioned as likely possibilities. 
The MoL reported that it will give more attention to this issue 
after the Tashkent center is opened and implementers are able to 
apply lessons learned from that process. 
 
 
 
¶H.      Continued Efforts to Improve the Collection of Law 
Enforcement Trafficking Data 
 
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The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported in October that it is 
completing a joint project with the UNODC, started in 2007, of 
creating a specialized database of trafficking cases.  The MIA 
hopes to complete work on the database this year and to be able to 
use it to track trends in the TIP area starting in early 2010. 
 
 
 
NORLAND 
NORLAND