Cotton Campaign reposted this
The Italian machinery manufacturers association have purposefully deleted comments from the Cotton Campaign on the below. Please do share. The #bizhumanrights community should be looking at this. https://lnkd.in/eaBcpT8Y
A call to Italian companies: End business with Turkmenistan's textile industry 🚫👚 Today, and over the next few days, a commercial delegation co-organised by the Italian government is meeting with Turkmenistan's textile industry, despite the widespread use of state-imposed forced labour in Turkmen cotton production. The EU has consistently called for the end of forced labour in Turkmenistan, but Italian companies continue to sell machinery that is likely to be used to process local cotton harvested with forced labour. These companies benefit from forced labour in cotton production and facilitate Turkmen cotton's entry into global supply chains as finished or semi-finished goods. The commercial delegation, which is taking place in parallel with the EU-Turkmenistan human rights dialogue, undermines EU and international efforts to end state-imposed forced labour in Turkmen cotton. The EU should ensure that European businesses cut ties with the Turkmen cotton industry. Instead of organising commercial delegations as the Italian government is doing in this case. Everyone should be able to choose their work and live in freedom, but thousands of people in Turkmenistan are forced to work in the cotton harvest every year. It's time for change. 📣 The EU is committed to eradicating forced labour from supply chains, and therefore, no European company should be profiting from this forced labour. European institutions and EU Member States must interrogate and, where necessary, correct all trade initiatives and economic cooperation with Turkmenistan to ensure they do not enable or perpetuate forced labour. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eke4UmU4