"Alternativa" explains sustainability of slavery labour in the Caucasus

The people, who are freed from labour slavery, are not accustomed to defend their rights; they are afraid of revenge; therefore it allows their recruiters and exploiters to remain unpunished, the "Alternativa" movement has pointed out after the liberation of two residents of Southern Russia. In Northern Caucasus, slavery was the norm until the beginning of the twentieth century, Olga Shafranova, an ethnographer, has noted.

On July 25, the movement to combat slavery named "Alternativa" reported about the liberation of Mikhail Ratkov, a resident of the Rostov Region, and Alexander Bukreev, a resident of the Stavropol Territory. They were found without documents in a suburb of Moscow, where they were exploited in workhouses. Ratkov had been in labour slavery in Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported about cases of the people who were liberated from labour slavery in Northern Caucasus. Slaves in Dagestan are a cheap labour force that is lured to the Caucasus mainly by fraudulence.

Alexei Nikitin, an activist of the "Alternativa" movement, has pointed out that it is difficult to prosecute for the use of slave labour. For fear of revenge, victims refuse to interact with law enforcers.

Only those who declare themselves to be forced labourer can be helped to get out of slavery, Oleg Melnikov, the head of the "Alternativa" movement, said after the release of three people in Dagestan. There are criminal articles for using slaves' labour, but they practically fail to work, Abusupyan Gaitaev, a lawyer, has confirmed.

Socially unprotected, often illiterate people usually fall into labour slavery, Musa Pliev, a lawyer, has noted.

In Northern Caucasus, a form of patriarchal slavery persisted for a long time, when prisoners captured during a raid were forced to work in anticipation of a ransom paid for them, said Olga Shafranova, an ethnologist. She did not rule out that in some places in Northern Caucasus such archaic form of labour relations is still practiced, for example, if a person cannot pay off his/her debts.