Uzbekistan’s schools and kindergartens will observe a “Week of Combating Forced Labor” starting August 15, the Ministry of Employment announced.
The Labor Inspectorate will conduct monitoring activities across all educational institutions nationwide.
“Reports published recently regarding the involvement of teachers and educators in forced labor indicate a threat to the inviolability of our citizens’ labor rights,” the ministry stated.
During the week, not only employers but also all responsible officials who allowed forced labor to occur will be held accountable.
The ministry reported that approximately 10 cases of teachers and educators being subjected to forced labor, previously reported in the media and social networks, have been confirmed. The responsible officials have been brought to administrative justice. Submissions have been sent to relevant ministries and departments to study the causes of violations and eliminate the conditions conducive to their occurrence.
Previously, teachers in one of the schools in the Andijan region were involved in school repairs. As a result, the director of the educational institution was dismissed and fined 41 million soums. Later, a similar incident occurred in Samarkand.