Activists of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan have submitted their suit to Tashkent’s Mirzo-Ulugbek district to demand the Education Ministry pay 100 million sums for damage inflicted on thousands of schoolchildren and teachers who were forced to pick cotton last autumn despite government pledged not to use child labour.

Activist Yelena Urlayeva believes that this lawsuit will shake up the authorities and prevent them from sending children to cotton fields this autumn.

If the court hears their case, activists intend to spend money paid in damages on fighting illegal child labour during cotton harvesting because they do not believe that the government will give up the practice.

“We were promised last summer and we will be promised in future, but what will this change?” she asked.

The alliance decided to file the suit after the Education Ministry denied that children were involved in cotton picking last autumn. Activists submitted documented proofs of child labour collected last autumn and demand that officials be punished for barefaced lies.