International Migrants Day marked against violations of migrants' rights in Southern Russia

In the post-Soviet space, labour migration has become a usual way of life for millions of people. Of them, a large part is represented by natives of the South Caucasian countries. Meanwhile, Russia demonstrates tough approach to the status of migrants, while the countries, which natives leave them in search for jobs, do too little to protect their citizens abroad. This was announced by the Anti-Discrimination Centre "Memorial".

Since 2000, at the proposal of the UN General Assembly, the International Migrants Day is marked annually on December 18. The resolution of the UN General Assembly associates the day with the anniversary of the day of December 18, 1990, when the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was signed.

According to the report prepared by the Anti-Discrimination Centre "Memorial", despite the freedom of movement and labour declared in various treaties, the approach to labour migration in the interstate formations existing in the post-Soviet space remains restrictive.

The authors of the report point to repressions against labour migrants, who even insignificantly violated migration rules and lost "regulated status" in a country of their employment. People who, according to the Russian law enforcement agencies, have violated the Russian migration law are kept at detention facilities for a long time. Migrants also report on impossibility to meet members of their families, since they fall into "black lists" of persons who have violated the Russian migration law and who are refused by the Federal Migration Service (known as FMS) in entry to Russia.

The report also mentions the problem of housing among the main problems of migrants and displaced persons in Southern Caucasus.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.