Turkmenistan Cotton Harvest: Forced Labor Persists Amid Reform Talks

In Turkmenistan, teachers, healthcare workers, and employees of state-owned enterprises continue to pay from their salaries to avoid being forced to pick cotton, according to independent reporting. The independent news outlet Turkmen.news reported in October that employees of an oil depot in the Dashoguz region paid approximately $19 a month despite earning around $110. Bank employees paid $3.50 three times a week, while school employees in Turkmenabat paid $1.50 up to 10 times a month. These dollar amounts are approximate, based on an unofficial exchange rate of around 19–20 manat to $1, compared with the official rate of 3.5 manat. The government is discussing measures to combat forced and child labor with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU). At an international conference in Ashgabat on November 4, representatives of the ILO, United Nations agencies, and trade unions discussed the protection of labor rights. The government’s account of the meeting made no mention of the cotton harvest or the forced mobilization of workers. Public Employees and Soldiers Sent to Cotton Fields The cotton harvest officially began on September 9, with a national production target of approximately 1.25 million metric tons of raw cotton, including 275,000 metric tons from the Dashoguz region. Public-sector employees were reportedly being assigned to fieldwork before the official start. On August 20, the independent outlet Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported that cleaners and maintenance staff from public institutions in the Lebap region would work 15-day shifts in cotton fields. Doctors, nurses, and teachers were to participate on weekends. Turkmen.news documented forced mobilization in four of the country’s five regions: Ahal, Dashoguz, Lebap, and Mary. Workers from municipal services and road maintenance organizations were among those required to pick cotton or pay for replacements. The outlet reported that some replacement pickers were children as young as 12. In a separate October 22 report, it described military conscripts harvesting cotton in the Mary and Lebap regions, with daily quotas of 40–50 kilograms. A conscript said soldiers were supposed to receive one manat (about $0.05) per kilogram, but that the unit commander took the money. The accounts involving soldiers and minors rely partly on anonymous sources. The reports contain no response from the authorities to these allegations. What ILO Monitors Found Since 2023, Turkmenistan has allowed ILO observers to monitor cotton harvests. Cooperation is conducted under agreed road maps, the latest of which covers 2026. In May, the ILO and the EU launched a joint project for 2026–2027 to prevent child and forced labor in cotton production. At consultations in Ashgabat on October 27–28, participants discussed hiring cotton pickers under simplified labor agreements that would include insurance against workplace injuries. The ILO’s 2025 monitoring report found that observers saw children in the fields during 38% of visits, up from 23% in 2024. Among farmers interviewed, 34% reported the presence of children, compared with 17% a year earlier. In the Dashoguz region, observers saw children in 59% of fields visited. Observers reported interference during 35% of field visits...