Government workers in Turkmenistan were forced into harsh cotton labour
Government workers in the western Balkan Province (wilajec) of Turkmenistan, including teachers and doctors, have been forced to interrupt their vacations to prune and harvest cotton, reported Azatlyk, the Turkmen section of the Radio Liberty portal. "The temperature exceeds 113°F. The one-gallon jars we bring with us last until noon" said one of the doctors anonymously.
According to local media, the authorities' decision to send additional labour to the cotton fields is a consequence of recent criticism from the hakim (equivalent to a governor) regarding the situation in the cotton fields.
Work on the cotton harvest is delayed, and recently the hakim criticized the administration. After receiving a reprimand from the etrap (the equivalent of a district), he sent most of the medical staff and almost all the teachers to the fields," said one of the informants anonymously.
Other informants claim that public sector workers forced to work in agriculture also work in privately owned cotton fields.
Government workers in Turkmenistan are forced to work on the cotton harvest
"On Wednesday, about 50 healthcare workers were brought to harvest cotton on 235 acres of fields supposedly belonging to an official from the Ministry of Public Security. They were not given water or food. People felt like medieval slaves," reported Azatlyk editors cited by PAP. Workers were also reportedly deprived of their cell phones.
We start working in the fields at 7 AM and work until 7 PM. We are brought by buses. The temperature exceeds 113°F, but during the work, we don't even get water. The one-gallon jars we bring with us last until noon," said one of the doctors anonymously.
The Balkan province is the least cotton-producing region among Turkmenistan's provinces due to its unfavourable climate. A few years ago, the Turkmenistan government decided to limit cotton cultivation there to increase sugar beet cultivation.
However, this did not solve the problem of forced labour of public sector workers, who are unpaid and engaged in the cultivation of sugar beets, potatoes, and other crops," informs Azatlyk, as cited by PAP.
