This appeal is released to coincide with the World Day Against Child Labor, June 12, 2009. This day is particularly important for Uzbekistan as the use of forced child labor is one of the most acute issues of human rights in Uzbekistan. According to various independent assessments, between 1.6 to 2.4 million children from the ages of 10 to 15, as well as tens of thousands of students and civil servants on the direct order of local authorities spend two months every autumn in the cotton fields… In response to this criticism, Uzbekistan ratified two International Labor Organization conventions…But the question remains: did anything change in practice?