MMA Praxis continues to work toward solutions to the on-going reality of modern slavery in the cotton fields of Uzbekistan. The Uzbek government is complicit in human rights abuses involving children, going as far as the closure of schools to force the nation’s children to pick in the cotton fields. Cotton is Uzbekistan’s most valuable export and the material finds its way onto the shelves of most global clothing and apparel retailers.

MMA Praxis has participated in letter-writing campaigns and some corporate dialogues, urging dozens of companies to pledge that they will eliminate Uzbek cotton from their supply chain. Many companies have responded affirmatively – establishing policies and requiring their suppliers to refrain from using Uzbek cotton. Evidence has surfaced, however, that suggests many company suppliers (often cotton mills or spinners) either don’t know where their cotton is sourced or disregard their pledge to boycott cotton from Uzbekistan.

Shareholder advocates, including MMA Praxis, are now focusing attention on the cotton mills and spinners that ultimately supply retail and apparel companies with cloth. Work has begun on a new initiative aimed at helping companies fulfill their pledge to eliminate child labor-tainted cotton from their supply chain. This effort promises to offer a more direct way to economically pressure the Uzbek government to eliminate forced child labor.