To help their families, many children in Uzbekistan are forced to pick cotton every day. The working conditions in the cotton fields are harmful; they live in dirty housing, develop diseases and suffer injuries. Children must reach a certain cotton quota; otherwise they pay a fine that most cannot afford, are expelled from school or the authorities beat them. After the cotton is harvested, the Uzbek government sells it at a high price to earn money. To avoid breaking labor laws, he covered up child labor by threatening journalists. The Uzbek government forces many children to pick cotton every day, which can lead to injury, illness or even death. Uzbek children who are unable to participate in the harvest or meet their quota face severe punishment from the authorities. They work in the cotton fields every day for months to support their family. Parents who are unwilling to send their children must send a letter to the local authorities and pay a fine or hire someone to pick cotton for their children; teachers also collect letters from parents confirming their children's participation in the collection. The children are then taken from their schools and forced to live in temporary housing near the cotton fields. Regional authorities, police officials, farm administrators and school officials ensure that a quota of forty kilograms (eighty-eight pounds) per day is met (Uzbekistan). Otherwise, children risk punishment: expulsion from school, beatings and paying fines. Authorities said they only punished children if they misbehaved. However, many human rights activists report cases of police and school officials beating children for not meeting the quota. The principal of the Karakalpaks National University...... middle of the paper ......n. However, he has denied any access to his fields and continues to hide complaints about child labor. Works Cited Doward, Jamie. “H%M is under pressure to act on child labor law.” The Guardian, 15 December 2012. StampaD.T. “Forced labor in Uzbekistan: in the land of cotton”. The Economist 16 October 2013. Print "Forced and child labor in Uzbekistan's cotton sector is unique in the world: it is a state-controlled system, under the direction of a president who has been in power since the end of the Soviet Union." International Forum on Labor Rights. Network. 26 February 2014.industries/cotton>.“Uzbekistan: forced labor is widespread in cotton harvesting”. Human Rights Watch January 26, 2013.Web. January 27, 2014. “Uzbek government fails to keep promise to end child labor in cotton fields.” The WashingtonPost September 24, 2014. Print.