In Khorezm, schoolchildren are made to work in rice fields?

There were reports on social networks that students from school No. 19 in Koshkopir district of the Khorezm region were forcibly made to work in the rice fields by the school's director. The Regional Poverty Alleviation and Employment Directorate responded to this situation.

It was reported that 9th-grade students from school No. 19 in Koshkopir district, namely A.Q., B.Sh., A.O., and B.Os, located in the "Durdona" neighborhood of the district, were engaged in fieldwork on a farm's rice field.

It was clarified that these four schoolchildren involved in fieldwork were paid by the farm's owner, K.Kh., based on an agreement for harvesting rice.

"During the learning process, it was not confirmed that underage students were involved in forced labor by the school director," the department stated in its response.

Furthermore, the actions of the farm's owner, who allowed students to work in the fields regardless of their age, are currently under legal assessment.

However, it is evident that the number of children seen in the video shared on social networks exceeds four. The fact that the management has not clarified the identities of the remaining children also leads to misunderstandings.

We would like to remind you that earlier, there were reports of schoolchildren being involved in cotton picking in Kashkadarya. However, this situation was not confirmed during the investigation conducted by the State Labor Inspection of the Regional Poverty Alleviation and Employment Directorate.