ASHGABAT, Feb 4 (AFP) - The United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF welcomed on Friday Turkmenistan's passing of a new law banning child labour -- seen as widespread in this cotton-growing former Soviet republic.
The law passed by the Central Asian country's mainly ceremonial parliament on Monday "can be seen as a translation of the will of the president to ban child labour," UNICEF's Turkmenistan representative Mahboob Shareef said.
"We at UNICEF strongly support this move," Shareef said in a written statement.
The use of child labour, particularly for cotton harvesting, has remained widespread despite a ban already announced by ruled by President Saparmurat Niyazov, known officially as Turkmenbashi (leader of the Turkmen) the Great, in 2002, observers say.
In its latest human rights report, for the year 2003, the US State Department said that "the government strongly encouraged children to help in the cotton harvest -- families of children who did not help could experience harassment by the government."
"Children as young as 10 years of age were allowed to help with the harvest for up to two months," the report read.
This oil and gas-rich country scores poorly on a range of social indicators, including its child mortality rate.
While the country is no longer a major cotton exporter, it uses its cotton to manufacture clothes for Western clothing giants such as Levi Strauss.
02/04/2005 18:00 GMT - AFP