«LITER» №141, 4.08.2009

Yuriy Eliseev

Border violators are in a risk of being in slavery.

 Murat Karimov crossed the border with Kazakhstan illegally as a lot of other Uzbek citizens, to earn money for subsistence of own family. Acquaintances, who crossed the road repeatedly in search of work, had warned him that illegal migrants are subjected to various dangers very often, but friends’ advices didn’t help him to be saved. Three years of separation from family, slavery, beatings, and work only for shelter and eating-that is the result of labor traveler Murat. The most interesting is that nobody was punished for it.

Due to the fact that South Kazakhstan region is border region, migration processes are noted oftener then in other regions of Kazakhstan. And it is not surprisingly that in South of Kazakhstan there are many NGOs, which are engaged in protection of rights of legal and illegal labor migrants. Some of them render consultative assistance, some of them renders practical assistance and some of them do both. For example for preventing the situations which leads to disastrous consequences, the staff of NGO “ Sana Sezim” has worked out a pocket guide of labor migrant, which are distributed on bordered regions, constructional objects, markets and other places where are cohesive of labor migrants. But in different situation advices cannot replaces practical assistance. That’s why, when the "hotline" received an anonymous call informing that there is a citizen of Uzbekistan on such an address who run away from one of the neighbor’s residence, who has lived over four years in Kazakhstan, three years of which in slavery, the staff of the Center went immediately there.

During the inspection of the application were revealed that the 48-year-old Uzbek Karimov Murat (name is changed) in 2005 together with an acquaintance crossed the border illegally. Initiator was the acquaintance who promised the work in a construction site. But the plan was not destined to be realized - the work was not there. Together they went to the village Vanovka, to the relative of the acquaintance. Murat worked at additional jobs, only in one place he was paid 30000KZT, in other places he was discharged without salary. Murat’s passport is disappeared.

However, the main trouble began when one man who introduced himself as a staff of law enforcement agency came to the house where at that time lived Murat. He took Murat, and brought him to the house of the businessman. There he was beaten hard and required to write an explanation on the loss of the passport and crossing the border. Then he was threatened that they would bring him to criminal liability if he refuses to work. At that time, our hero had a driver's license and employment history, which has been taken by entrepreneur. Karimov was promised that, upon completion of the work, they would return the documents and help to return home. During three years Murat was grazing the cattle, after every two days he washed cars of owner, he was engaged in repairing the house. He did any work that he was required. After it Karimov told to the staff of the center that he had been beaten repeatedly for the slightest infractions. The reward for the work was food and accommodation. In winter he slept in the bath, in the summer - in the boiler room. And each time, when Murat began to talk about his returning home, he was said that it was early yet, and there was a lot of work.

Social activists of NGO "Sana Sezim" appealed to the staff of OCD, Department of Internal Affairs of SKO, and with them went to the specified address where was Karimov. With the entrepreneur who held the citizen of other government for three years for three years "was conducted the explanatory conversation according to the Labor Code of Kazakhstan, after which the entrepreneur and M. Karimov came to a peace agreement". He even returned to Murat employment history, driver's license and paid 50,000 KZT. (!)

After so many years of humiliation and work "on the host" Karimov does not even think about justice, his only one wish is to return home. The staffs of the Center have already held talks with representatives of the International Organization for Migration in Kazakhstan to provide evidence on returning of Karimov in Uzbekistan. Last Friday, Murat embraced finally his wife and children after four years of separation.

Story of Murat is not an isolated case. So there again arises the question:  what is happened to that staff of law enforcement agency, which forcibly brought M. Karimov to this entrepreneur, how to explain the fact that one area of ​​people who use the labor of illegal migrants are brought to liability but with other ones simply are conducted "explanatory conversations ".