The United States Bans Imports of Cotton Products from Turkmenistan

The U.S. government has banned the import of all cotton products from Turkmenistan, which has been accused of using child labor and forced labor in cotton cultivation. This order, issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on May 18 and published on May 24, does not provide a reason for the ban. However, members of the U.S. Cotton Campaign, the Turkmenistan Alternative News Network, and the International Labor Rights Forum had requested that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection prohibit imports of cotton products from Turkmenistan, which are produced using forced labor. These groups claim that the Turkmen government coerces public sector employees into working in cotton fields under threats of punishment and loss of wages. In the U.S., importing products produced through slavery or child labor is against labor laws and prohibited. An official from the International Labor Rights Forum stated, "The decision by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is an important step toward ending the most severe forms of forced labor that still exist in the world." Ruslan Matiev, editor and founder of the Turkmenistan Alternative News Network, stated that every year the Turkmen government forces tens of thousands of public sector employees, including teachers, nurses, and doctors, to pick cotton, pay bribes, or find a replacement for themselves under threats of dismissal and non-payment of wages. Several major consumer goods companies, including H&M and IKEA, have announced that they will no longer use cotton products from Turkmenistan. Activists have accused Turkmenistan and some neighboring countries of using child labor and forced labor in cotton production for years. The Global Slavery Report published in 2016 listed countries that systematically use forced labor, including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, North Korea, Russia, Vietnam, and Eritrea. According to this report, about 15,000 people in Turkmenistan are in a situation described as "modern slavery."