Cotton harvest in Turkmenistan tainted by state-sponsored forced labor
Right now, it’s cotton-picking season in Turkmenistan and the authoritarian government is using the forced labor of thousands of teachers, health-care workers, and other state employees to collect the harvest. State agencies in eastern Lebap Province have reportedly been ordered to send 50 percent of their staff to pick cotton during weekdays and all employees must head to the fields over the weekends.
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