- Title: RUSSIA: Central Asian migrant workers set up temporary homes in Moscow
- Date: 17th November 2011
- Summary: WOMAN WALKING IN COMMUNAL AREA INSIDE THE HOSTEL COMPOUND VARIOUS OF LAUNDRY HANGING BETWEEN HOSTEL HOUSING VARIOUS OF UNNAMED WOMAN MIGRANT FROM TAJIKISTAN INSIDE LAUNDRY ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) UNNAMED WOMAN MIGRANT FROM TAJIKISTAN, SAYING: "If we had decent living conditions in Tajikistan, we would not have come here and would have lived on our own land. We do no
- Embargoed: 2nd December 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Russian Federation
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8N2SARJ49DZKMQJ34189L901A
- Story Text: On the outskirts of the Russian capital, migrants from Central Asia are making a home for themselves -- albeit in poor conditions -- as they try to find work to support their families in Moscow as well as in their home countries.
Sapar from Tajikistan lives in one of the communities of migrants, in an industrial wasteland near the Mytishchinsky Market. Broken concrete and rubbish dots the landscape, and outside of his rusty yellow trailer an abandoned child's wagon sits on the dirt.
He said his living conditions are less than ideal. He fears who could be lurking in the compound, but he has no choice. So he hunkers down with his family and tries to insulate himself.
"There (in the other migrant living areas) there is a whole crowd and you cannot tell who is who. But here everyone is with their own family. I am here with my four brothers, cousins - we will carry on living here separately from the rest," Sapar said. "How can one not be scared? Of course we are scared - no-one else lives here and they won't come (either)."
Conditions are greatly improved in a hostel nearby a scorched field where a former migrant camp was burned to the ground.
Hostel manager Andrei Grigoryev said he was shocked by the squalor of many migrant camps and offers an alternative at his hostel.
"These people have now adapted to living here (in the hostel). They used to live in wild and inhuman conditions. I sometimes went to have a look at how they lived, although this was not often, I used to go around inspecting on Saturdays and Sundays. Just one look at the dugout was enough and then I would just close it and leave," Grigoryev said.
Here, women cook and launder clothes in a communal setting with working plumbing and modern appliances. Still, a migrant from Tajikstan told Reuters, living in the hostel was not by choice but necessity. Work is scarce in Central Asia, and migrants move to Moscow to make enough money to someday return home.
"If we had decent living conditions in Tajikistan, we would not have come here and would have lived on our own land. We do not bother anyone here, but just go about our work. My son also just goes to work and then comes home, and does not go out anywhere," she said. "I have not been home for about three years. I cannot go now. But maybe I will go soon, God willing."
Migrant workers in Russia are often employed in low skilled jobs such as street sweepers and road diggers, and builders on building sites, often with no fixed contract with their employers. Experts on Central Asian migrants say that of the estimated eight to 12 million migrants in Russia, only 1.5 million have the possibility to work legally.
Moscow's migration service tries to tackle the inflow of illegal migrants by conducting raids at building sites, where they check migrants for work permits and registration with companies and residency registration.
During such a raid in various locations around the city, the service's senior inspector said that those caught out in such raids without proper documents, would face fines or be deported.
At the Immigration Law Centre, Gavkhar Djulayeva tries to keep a count on migrants and would like to see a way for Russian authorities to be able to track the Central Asian workforce who provide vital services to the Russian economy, as the population shrinks and more workers are needed for low-end jobs.
"The ideal would be not to return to the migrant being tied to a place of residence, but - even though it means tightening the rules - it would be better to have him report once a month on his whereabouts so that the Federal Migration Services know where he is, and this means he is not tied to a concrete place of residency," Djulayeva said.
The influx of migrants from central Asia has given fuel to nationalistic sentiments in the county due to economic slowdown and high unemployment, even though analysts say Russia will rely more and more on migrants in the future.
Still, some migrants are living successfully in Moscow, finding a way to continue their traditions despite hardship. Thousands Muslims worship at Moscow's Cathedral Mosque, holding on to traditions from the countries.
Kyrgyz native Abdu Majisk explained to Reuters that he is at least trying to pass on a better life to the next generation.
"There is no work back home, here we can work and provide the basis for a life for our children."
Many of Russia's millions of migrants are seasonal and leave for home after spending a working summer in Moscow. Citizens of neighbouring central Asian countries often have a visa-free travel status in Russia, and many migrants come to work in Russia without any legal permission.
The increase in migrant workers has sparked fears among some Russians that the newly arrived and cheaper workforce will take jobs away from native Russians. The resentment of Russia's migrant workers remains, much of it translating into racism and hate crimes.
Human rights activists say officials have long turned a blind eye to nationalism and xenophobia in a country where racist violence and vandalism are a regular occurrence.
Rights workers say the Russian government's lenient attitude to the far right allows racism to flourish in Russia, which is home to some 20 million Muslims, a seventh of the population. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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