HRW urges IOC to promote migrant workers' rights at Olympic facilities in Sochi

The report of the Human Rights Watch (HRW), based on interviews with migrant workers engaged at Olympic and other construction sites in Sochi, will be presented today at a briefing in Geneva. The report documents different violations of migrant workers' rights and facts of their exploitation by employers.

The study of the situation with migrant workers employed at construction of the facilities of the Winter Olympics-2014 was launched by the HRW in 2009 and was completed in December 2012.

In their interviews migrant workers tell about non-payment, partial or late payment of wages; holding of their identity documents, such as passports and work permits; failures to provide with employment contracts or non-compliance with the terms thereof; and forced overtime work with insufficient time for rest.

In some cases, as reflected in the report of the HRW, employers resorted to retaliations against foreign workers who were protesting against violations – they were given out to the authorities, which entailed subsequent expulsion from Russia.

The report makes recommendations to the Government of the Russian Federation, construction companies and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the elimination of the reported violations.

According to the Olympic Charter, Olympic Games should be based on human dignity, and the IOC should monitor this, Rachel Denber, deputy director of the division for Europe and Central Asia of the HRW, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"There's still time to correct this – a year is left till the Olympics. The IOC must inspect all the construction sites, especially those voiced in our report," said Ms Denber.