Why Are Uzbek Migrants Being Kept In the Dark In Russia?

The pandemic has shown the most harrowing picture of the state of migrant population in various parts of the world

(The Uzbek migrants in Russia are now desperate to return back home. They see bleak to no hope of re-employment in Covid-19 times.  

Come pandemic and the worst side of humanity has also surfaced. The most disastrous incidents highlighting human rights violation have been reported periodically. Russia is no different a story to be narrated. The conditions become worst as the weather is harsh and extremely trying for those without basic amenities or better still, scarcely provided for a large mass. 

Currently, on the receiving end are Uzbek migrant workers who have not found a safe passage home. They are stranded in the Russian Samara region, and have now been forced to set up temporary camps. Border to Kazakhstan has been closed.

There is no way to reach home, without the help of the Russian government. While the government is providing with basic amenities, the living conditions are far from humane, owing to the severe cold climatic conditions.

In the past, there has been news about systematic arrest of many Uzbek migrant workers, on trumped up charges. A certain level of panic prevails in Russian cities when economic slowdown has happened before. The angst is usually focused on migrant population.

With less trains available for their safe return back to Uzbekistan, there are more than 4000 migrant workers at the border of Kazakhstan and Russia, awaiting repatriation. The camp is designed to handle a load of 900 people. There are women and children too. The train that runs once a week can home only 950 people at a time. There is definite panic and desperation amongst the migrant population at the border.

The worst is that there is no social support in the form of financial backing from Kremlin or from their respective embassies either.  According to Human Rights Watch, there is a rumour doing rounds that these migrants can find themselves a safe mode back home through these trains.  The camp administration is trying to keep things calm. It wishes as little information as possible to get out of the camp. It is now demanding that migrants stop talking to outsiders, especially media. However, the truth has not been hidden that migrants feel cheated as not a single Uzbek diplomat has yet to visit the camp, and people cannot reach the consulates by phone.