Migrant worker deaths, disappearances ignored, NGO says

29/07/2010

By Alisher Karimov

KHOREZM, Uzbekistan -- Officials in Uzbekistan and abroad ignore the suffering of families whose migrant breadwinners have died or disappeared, the Khorezm-based Nazhot human rights group said in a July 28 statement.

Nazhot named four Uzbek migrant workers who died in Russia recently and five who vanished in Russia or Kazakhstan, saying that officials in the three relevant countries ignore inquiries by the workers' families.

Such deaths and disappearances highlight the lack of reliable insurance or compensation for the families and cause them hardship when they can't obtain signatures for legal matters like divorce, inheritances or real estate transactions, Nazhot said.