Central Asia: Rights Group Details Plight of Central Asian Migrant Workers in Russia

Migrant laborers in Russia, including many from Central Asia, are routinely subjected to "exploitation by employers" and "extortion and abuse by police and other officials," according to a report released February 10 by a leading human rights organization.

The report, titled "Are You Happy to Cheat Us?: Exploitation of Migrant Construction Workers in Russia," is the product of a two-year investigation conducted by the New York-based group Human Rights Watch. The group based its findings on interviews with 146 migrants, conducted at various locations in Russia, as well as in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The report found that some migrants were subjected to slave-like working conditions. "In some of the worst cases, employers, intermediaries and employment agencies confiscated migrants' passports and forced them to work without wages, in some cases confining them to worksites, or physically abusing them," the report stated. Such instances constituted violations of both international and Russian legislation, the report added.

The report recounts in detail the experiences of several interviewees from Central Asia. Most migrants reported that they traveled to Russia in search of work following unsuccessful and prolonged job searches in their home countries. According to some estimates, Russia in recent years has accommodated up to 9 million migrants, with 80 percent coming from CIS countries. Roughly 40 percent of all migrant laborers, the report adds, work in the "high unregulated construction sector."

A 30-year-old Tajik man, given the pseudonym Tohir T. in the HRW report, worked at a hotel construction site in the provincial city of Tambov. He was ultimately cheated out of a substantial portion of the wages promised to him, as his employer simply refused to pay him and other workers. But he opted not to take matter up with local authorities. "It was pointless to complain," he told a HRW researcher. "We simply took what they gave us and left."

A Kyrgyz man, identified as Vladimir V., highlighted the medical risks that many migrants face. He said he was building houses in Moscow when he fell and injured his abdomen. "To go to a doctor is expensive. I didn't have any insurance," Vladimir explained. Instead he treated the injury himself, with help from a co-worker.

The report concludes with recommendations for Russia to establish "accessible, effective complaint mechanisms" and to step up enforcement of existing labor-related legislation. HRW also calls on CIS countries that are the main sources of migrant laborers to develop awareness campaigns that inform citizens of the potential dangers, as well as their rights in working abroad. Such countries should additionally enhance "labor departments at embassies and consulates in Russia to assist migrant workers," the HRW report suggests.