White Gold: The True Cost Of Cotton

White Gold: The True Cost Of Cotton

This exhibition highlights the abuse of labour rights in the cotton industry, primarily in Uzbekistan, one of the largest cotton exporters in the world.

The Uzbekistan government forcibly conscripts hundreds of thousands of its citizens, including young children, to work in its billion dollar cotton industry. The Uzbek government is the main beneficiary of this forced labour, demanding high production quotas and retaining rigid control over the exports.

Every year many rural schools are closed and children, some as young as seven, are sent to help pick the annual cotton harvest. They then endure hard and hazardous working conditions and often face verbal and physical abuse.

This exhibition includes photographs of cotton workers in Uzbekistan, explores how the cotton supply chain works, how we as consumers are part of this chain and how we can make a difference.