The United States Fashion Industry Association signed onto comments developed by the Cotton Campaign to the U.S. State Department concerning Uzbekistan's placement in the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report (J/TIP). The main message is that Uzbekistan should again be placed in Tier 3 in the 2014 report. In 2013, the Uzbek government once again used forced labor of children and adults on a massive scale as a matter of state policy, in violation of national laws and international standards. Uzbekistan does not meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, nor is it yet taking real steps to meet those standards. An upgrade to another placement would reward the government of Uzbekistan in spite of its continued, flagrant disregard of its national laws and international commitments. The Tier 3 placement would, on the other hand, communicate the need to end forced labor to the Uzbek government. Clear messages from the U.S. government, the European Union and multilateral agencies have contributed to key policy decisions by the Uzbek government. 

On May 25, 2016, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter to the President of Turkmenistan, urging him to take action to end forced labor in the cotton sector. This year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) reports “deep concern the widespread use of forced labour in cotton production which affects farmers, businesses and private and public sector workers, including teachers, doctors and nurses, under threat of losing their jobs, salary cuts, loss of land and extraordinary investigations.” The letter was delivered prior to Turkmenistan’s participation in the ILO Conference, which is taking place in Geneva from May 30-June 10, 2016. The letter is available here.

On July 21, 2015, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter to the International Labour Organization (ILO), which calls on them to press the Uzbek government to end its practice of forced labor during their scheduled roundtable meeting in August. At the meeting, the ILO plans to present the findings of the survey of recruitment practices it is currently conducting and to propose a plan of action to eradicate forced labor in the agriculture sector to the Uzbek government. The letter is available on the Cotton Campaign website.

On September 8^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign statement on the start of the annual cotton harvest in Uzbekistan. The Cotton Campaign is a global coalition including trade unions, human rights NGOs, socially responsible investors, and business groups. The Cotton Campaign urges the Uzbek government to take immediate steps to stop the practices that are “modern day slavery” and, most importantly, allow independent organizations and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to monitor labor conditions in the fields. The statement is available on the Cotton Campaign website.

On November 20, 2013, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined an apparel and retail industry association letter expressing concerns with Senator Bob Casey’s (D-PA) amendment that would require military exchanges to only source garments made in Bangladesh with companies who are members of the Accord on Fire & Building Safety in Bangladesh. The letter was sent to House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders. The letter provides reasons not to include the amendment, including: 

• The amendments would have the perverse effect of giving preference to European companies over U.S. companies for garments produced in Bangladesh and sold in U.S. military exchanges.
• The amendments are inconsistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) by establishing conditions on imports from Bangladesh.
• The amendments would establish an arbitrary, European-written initiative for worker safety that most American companies have not supported, and
• The amendment does not recognize the ongoing, intensive work that American companies have undertaken to build sustainable improvements to worker safety in Bangladesh through the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) and other company efforts. 

On January 14, 2014, the United States Fashion Industry Association joined five other U.S. and Canadian apparel and retail trade associations to send an open letter to Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN of Cambodia, the Chairman of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia, and other labor groups in Cambodia calling for an immediate end to violence and for immediate resumption of negotiations on the minimum wage. The letter and press release are available here.

On July 17^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined three other U.S.-based apparel and retail associations in sending a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership on two Defense Appropriations provisions that could negatively impact U.S. brands and retailers doing business in Bangladesh. According to the letter:

There are two provisions in question. The first–Section 8102–would require military exchanges who source garments from Bangladesh to: 1) join the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (Accord) and 2) only contract with companies who are members of the Accord. The second–Section 8103–would require the Department of Defense to require licensees who source in Bangladesh to join Accord. 

While these provisions seek to address the concerns we all share about building and worker safety in Bangladesh, they unfortunately ignore the work that is being done in Bangladesh by other organizations, such as the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which was created by 26 U.S. and Canadian firms last year. Focusing on only one organization picks favorites and undermines a cooperative relationship that has been recognized by other parts of the U.S. Government as well as by international agencies, such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). 

The letter is available here. 

On December 9, 2013, the United States Fashion Industry Association joined U.S. apparel and retail associations in sending a letter to U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney expressing our significant concerns with her proposed human trafficking legislation, particularly the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure requirement. The associations will also met with her in her office to discuss the issue.

On April 24^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined other apparel and retail associations in sending a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the government to again place Uzbekistan in Tier 3 in the 2014 Global Trafficking in Persons Report. “Such a ranking would communicate to the Uzbek government that its policy and practice of forced labor is unacceptable and would support a decision by the Uzbek government to work urgently with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to end forced labor,” the letter states.

On Tuesday, April 29^th, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Effective Accountability: Tier Rankings and the Trafficking in Person's Report.” Brian Campbell of the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) will use the industry letter in his testimony.  

On June 20, 2014, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a letter organized by the Cotton Campaign to Secretary of State John Kerry applauding the State Department’s decision to maintain Uzbekistan in Tier 3 in the 2014 Global Trafficking in Persons Report. “We would also like to thank the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, the Ambassador at Large and Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the Bureaus of Human Rights and South and Central Asian Affairs, and the U.S. embassy in Tashkent for their ongoing efforts to persuade Uzbekistan’s government to eliminate the scourge of forced and child labor in the cotton sector,” the letter adds. 

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in advance of his trip to Uzbekistan this week. The letter urges him to use the visit to express concern to Uzbek officials about the government’s use of mass forced labor and to urge them to end the practice. The letter is available on the Cotton Campaign website.

On July 29, 2016, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter urging the World Bank to seek commitments from the Uzbek government to cease interference and reprisals against independent human rights monitors and to reform its financial system used for its cotton sector. The letter is timed in advance of a round-table meeting at which the World Bank will meet with the Uzbek government, the International Labor Organization, and diplomatic missions in Uzbekistan in early August. It also follows a recent Cotton Campaign meeting with the World Bank. The letter is available here.

On April 21, 2015, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined two Cotton Campaign letters to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the State Department to take action against the use of forced labor in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In particular, the letters urge the State Department to keep Uzbekistan at Tier 3 in the 2015 Global Trafficking in Persons Report, and place Turkmenistan at Tier 3 in the report. The Uzbekistan letter is available here, and the Turkmenistan letter is available here. More information on forced labor in both countries is available at www.CottonCampaign.org.

On September 18^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined North American apparel and retail trade associations in a joint statement to welcome the Bipartisan Policy Center’s First-Year Review of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which took place at a workshop September 17^th in Washington, D.C. In the review, the Alliance outlined its milestones, including the inspection of 100 percent of the members’ 587 factories in Bangladesh, and next steps and challenges ahead. The statement is available on our website. 

On September 12^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) participated in an Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) meeting for industry representatives to provide an update on their flystrike R&D and welfare work. Peta Slack-Smith, Group Manager of Corporate Affairs & International Market Access for AWI, gave an informative presentation about AWI’s recent highlights, including:

1. Breeding & Selection. AWI has led extensive research on the link between genetics and flystrike, finding that breech strike is highly heritable. In fact, researchers have identified the top five genetic traits that lead to flystrike, and some farmers have already been able to stop the practice of mulesing due with breeding, so AWI has dedicated an additional $1 million to studying the genetics.
2. Breech Modification Development. AWI has also been focusing on interim solutions—including clips, which are already on the market, and SkinTraction and laser treatements—to reduce flystrike until breeding achieves resistant sheep, especially in regions of Australia where flystrike is more prevalent due to weather conditions. Many of these new technologies have encouraging welfare assessments so far, leading AWI to continue research. Additionally, though the ultimate goal is to end mulesing, AWI’s work also has led to more than 80 percent of farmers who do practice mulesing to provide pain relief for the sheep, and leading animal rights organizations have recognized AWI’s good work to promote humane mulesing and research to end mulesing.
3. Improved Management Practices. AWI has found that some chemicals, particularly liquid nitrogen, provide good control even in less than optimal conditions, though there is a concern of developing resistance and chemical residues so AWI continues to research this area.

The group also heard from Neil Jackson, an award-winning wool grower in Western Australia, who discussed his devotion to his animals’ health and welfare, and Dr. Ian Colditz of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), who provided more details on the research into SkinTraction, liquid nitrogen, and laser technology to eliminate flystrike.

The AWI presentation is available here and Dr. Colditz’s presentation is available here.

Peta Slack-Smith concluded by noting that she is available to have confidential conversations with companies about the issue and how you can better ensure humane practices in your supply chain. If you would like to connect with her, please contact us. 

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) participated in a conference call to hear about the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign to end human trafficking. More information on the campaign is available here.

Today marks one year since the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh. The world is reminded of this tragedy again this week, but the global fashion industry thinks about it every day. U.S. apparel brands and retailers have been working for the past 12 months to support the victims and their families as well as ensure the safety of workers both in the immediate and the long term.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has collaborated with a variety of stakeholders, including fashion brands and retailers, industry associations, labor groups, the Governments of the United States and Bangladesh, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to improve the compliance situation in Bangladesh.

USFIA member companies sourcing in Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the world, have programs and standards in place to ensure worker safety, and continue to update those programs and standards. We support any and all efforts by our members to improve worker safety in Bangladesh, whether they join the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, join the Accord on Fire & Building Safety, or take on their own initiatives within their companies.

USFIA strongly supports the ready-made garments sector in Bangladesh, and we strongly urge the Bangladesh industry and government to support good labor practices and work with all stakeholders to improve the compliance situation there.

On behalf of our members, we express our condolences to the families of the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy as well as the fires at Tazreen Fashions and Smart Garments last year. We remain committed to the safety of workers in the ready-made garments sector and will continue to engage on this issue to ensure that the highest safety and labor standards are met in Bangladesh.

For more information on our advocacy efforts on worker safety in Bangladesh, and elsewhere, click here.

For more information on the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety or the Accord on Fire & Building Safety, we encourage you to contact the organizations directly. 

On April 7^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined other North American apparel and retail associations in sending a letter to the Bangladesh government urging them immediately eliminate duties on the imports of building and fire safety equipment. Currently, duties and other taxes are as high as 61.09 percent on fire doors and 31.07 percent on sprinkler systems, which the letter says are not only “a significant deterrent for factories to make necessary investments, but these significant duties also drain away much needed capital from our common goal—improving worker safety.” USFIA President Julia K. Hughes also met with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) about the issue during Prime Source Forum in Hong Kong.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a letter organized by the Cotton Campaign to the U.S. Department of Labor opposing the recent decision to remove cotton from Uzbekistan on the list of products made with forced or child labor. (More information on the decision is available in the Federal Register.) The Cotton Campaign argues that, despite some progress in Uzbekistan, cases of forced child labor still occurred during the 2017 harvest and local school administrators and teachers remained under pressure to force children into the fields to meet their annual cotton quotas. As a result, it is premature to remove Uzbek cotton from the EO13126 list until it can be verified that the Uzbek government has fully enacted the reforms to eliminate the drivers of forced child labor, particularly subjecting school officials to production quotas. The letter is available here.

Issue Summary

Since 2009, reports have suggested that the Uzbekistan cotton industry utilizes forced and child labor in the cotton fields. In October 2011, the European Union Parliament blocked a textile trade deal with Uzbekistan because of the country’s continued use of forced child labor in the cotton industry. The textile deal would have lowered the tariffs on EU imports of Uzbek cotton, which currently represent ¼ of Uzbekistan’s exports.

Following continued advocacy efforts by the global industry, including the United States Fashion Industry Association (formerly USA-ITA), on June 19, 2013, the U.S. Department of State finally downgraded Uzbekistan to Tier III in the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013, which indicates that a government is not making significant efforts to combat human trafficking and opens up the possibility of sanctions. The report notes that the country is “a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking.” Regarding the use of forced and child labor in the cotton sector, the report says:       

“Internal labor trafficking remains prevalent during the annual cotton harvest, in which children and adults are victims of government-organized forced labor. There were reports that working conditions in some fields during the cotton harvest included verbal and physical abuse and lack of freedom of movement. According to a variety of sources, the Government of Uzbekistan enforced a decree resulting in a sweeping reduction of the number of children under 15 years of age in the 2012 cotton harvest, but the government continued to subject older children and adult laborers to forced labor in that harvest. Some reports contend that the numbers of older children and adults subjected to forced labor in the harvest were higher than in previous years in several of Uzbekistan’s regions. Some activists allege that children were forced to weed cotton fields in the spring of 2012.”

The report recommends that Uzbekistan take a number of actions, including allowing an international organization such as the ILO to conduct an independent assessment during the annual cotton harvest.

On July 15, 2013, the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights and the Cotton Campaign released a report titled, “A Systemic Problem: State-Sponsored Forced Labour in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Sector Continues in 2012.” The report “presents evidence gathered by human rights defenders in Uzbekistan on their government’s system of forced labor during the 2012 cotton production cycle” and also serves as a “call to action to governments and companies to use their leverage to urge the Government of Uzbekistan to end forced labor in its cotton sector.” 

USFIA Position

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and many of our member companies have been actively involved in bringing the issue to the attention of the Obama Administration, particularly by urging the U.S. Department of State to bring up the issue in meetings with Uzbek government officials and work toward ending child labor in Uzbekistan. USFIA is grateful that the U.S. Department of State downgraded Uzbekistan in the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013, which will hopefully push the Uzbek government to finally take action.

Advocacy

USFIA and member companies have joined the Cotton Campaign, the Global Works Foundation, Human Rights Watch, and other organizations in sending letters to the Obama Administration, urging them to bring up the issue in meetings with Uzbek government officials. 

On June 19, 2012, USFIA (formerly USA-ITA) joined the Cotton Campaign, a coalition of industry associations and human rights groups, in sending another letter to Secretary Clinton expressing concern that the U.S. failed to downgrade Uzbekistan for its widespread use of forced and child labor in the cotton industry in the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2012. The letter also called on the U.S. government to urge the Uzbek government to immediately invite the ILO to monitor the 2012 cotton harvest. On July 6, 2012, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons responded to the coalition. “We have repeatedly made it clear that our bilateral relationship cannot reach its full potential unless Uzbekistan demonstrates increased efforts to protect the rights of all of its citizens, including addressing forced labor,” wrote the Ambassador. “We will continue to urge the government to cooperate with the ILO and engage Uzbekistan’s authorities, as well as civil society, to bring about real change, and will sustain our efforts to encourage this outcome in a constructive and effective way.” 

On March 12, 2013, USFIA joined industry associations in sending a letter to Abdulaziz Komilov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, urging the Uzbek government to invite the high-level ILO tripartite observation mission to conduct unfettered monitoring during the cotton harvest and take immediate and effective time-bound measures to eradicate forced labor of children and adults in the cotton sector. The letter was sent during Mr. Komilov’s visit to Washington, D.C.

On April 16, 2013, USFIA (formerly USA-ITA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the Department of State to place Uzbekistan in Tier III in Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013 unless the Uzbek government invites a high-level, tripartite ILO observer mission to monitor this fall’s cotton harvest. Tier III indicates that a government is not making significant efforts to combat human trafficking and opens up the possibility of sanctions. 

Previous advocacy efforts are available below.

• 10-18-11: State Department Response to 09-27-11 Letter
• 09-27-11: Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Security Assistance to Uzbekistan Government
• 06-28-11: Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Trafficking in Persons Report and Uzbekistan
• 05-05-11: Letter to Office of Monitoring & Trafficking of Persons on Child Labor in Uzbekistan 
• 05-11-10: Letter to Asst. Secretary of State for South Asia on Child Labor in Uzbekistan
• 05-11-10: Letter to Bureau of International Labor Affairs on Child Labor in Uzbekistan