[3] Radio Free Europe reported Uzbek human rights activists saying that the forced labour of children was "deliberate state policy".
[4] A number of Western retail groups including Asda, Gap, Marks & Spencer and Tesco boycotted the Uzbek cotton due to their use of child labor.
[7] Some NGOs, notably the Uzbek – German Forum for Human Rights (UGF), have attempted to raise awareness of these unethical practices, both worldwide and in Europe.
Outside of the cotton fields, child labor has persisted through many children selling items in the streets or begging – some because they are forced, and others because their families are unable to survive without the additional support.
In 2023, Madina Ochilova, a lawyer and a civil society activist, said that “It often happens that a minor is forced to look for work due to difficult family circumstances.” One of the primary factors blamed for this is the Uzbek government's lack of support for low-income families, including by blocking the creation of non-governmental organizations or non-profits to track and help children engaged in these types of labor.