News

International migrants are vital force in the global labour market

International migrants are playing a crucial role in the global economy and made up 4.7 per cent of the total global labour force in 2022, with most employed in high-income countries and in key sectors such as services, notably care provision.

Crackdown on civic freedoms in Central Asia: NGOs highlight alarming trend

Civic space is becoming increasingly restricted in Central Asia, and civil society representatives are facing unprecedented challenges across the region. International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and its regional partners call on the international community to use all available platforms to address these alarming trends and advocate for meaningful reforms that reverse repressive policies and safeguard civic freedoms. As international engagement in Central Asia grows, stakeholders should prioritise supporting the region’s embattled civil society, recognising its vital role in advancing democratic governance, human rights, the rule of law, justice, and public well-being.

UZBEKISTAN: FREE WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED ACTIVISTS, PROVIDE URGENT MEDICAL CARE, QUASH CONVICTIONS

A court in Kashkadarya on July 18 sentenced Khakimova and Keldiyorova to six years and one month and six-and-a-half years in prison, respectively, on dubious extortion charges. Khakimova, who has breast cancer, gave birth in mid-September. So long as she remains imprisoned, the authorities need to ensure that she and her newborn child receive prompt and appropriate medical care.

Khakimova, 40, who works as a teacher at a local school, has regularly commented on social media about corruption in the education system in Kashkadarya region and has served as a public interest representative in local cases. Khakimova has also collaborated with one of the other defendants, Shukrullo Parpiev, 44, who is the head of a small firm called “Blogger-Defenders” and a member of the Independent Human Rights Organization, a local rights group. Another three defendants – Shakhnoza Safarova, Farogat Mamatova, and Oydin Rustamova – also worked at local schools. The verdict indicates that the seventh defendant, Musallam Umirova, was employed at an entity called Republican Social Security Society.

Georgia: Support striking workers at Evolution Gaming

Evolution Gaming Georgia employs more than 7,500 people. About 50 percent of the many branches are employed in Georgia. Most of the studios operate in Georgia. The main income of the company comes from Georgia.

Turkmenistan: Mother of Nine Fired from Children’s Home on False Accusations of Beating Her Charges

Gulistan Mammetgeldiyeva of Balkanabat in western Turkmenistan has been trying for two years to get her job back at the children’s home, where she worked for two decades. She was dismissed in reprisal for making a complaint about the director of the children’s home to the president, the education department and prosecutor’s office. In order to get rid of the unwelcome employee the director arranged an inspection of her work at 4.30 in the morning, filming her on his telephone as she had a rest. He must have considered this insufficient grounds for dismissal, so when she went on sick leave, he persuaded the children to say that Gulistan beat them. The woman has nine children of her own and has been awarded the honorary title Ene Mahri for raising a large family. The prosecutor’s office, courts, and local authorities are on the director’s side, and have offered Gulistan other work. She cannot return to her old job, as it has been sold to someone else.

May Day 2024: Trade unions For Democracy

There is no democracy without trade unions – that’s the message of the global trade union movement this May Day.

Civil Society Inside and Outside Turkmenistan: Searching for Meaningful Engagement in the Interest of the Turkmen Public

Dominated by government-supported NGOs (GONGOs), Turkmenistan’s legal and political environment is antagonistic to the independent civic actors, who experience constant state-directed harassment, intimidation, and even persecution. In the meantime, the infrastructure supporting civil society is significantly underdeveloped. Such an environment forced a range of independent civic actors to leave the country, with some naturally emerging outside Turkmenistan, and playing a crucial role in informing the Turkmen public and the international community on the situation in Turkmenistan. However, these actors, too, face complex challenges, shaped by the state-directed intimidation and absence of international support and funding.

Enter Engineering. The company that received multi-billion dollar projects does not pay its workers

In recent days, the workers of Enter Engineering (EE), a major government contractor in Uzbekistan, have demonstrated continuously. The fact that the company has delayed the salaries of more than 50,000 workers in its more than 10 enterprises for 4 months is the cause of workers' dissatisfaction.

Kazakhstan: ITUC demands social dialogue and dropping of sanctions against striking workers

The ITUC condemns the violations of workers rights in a labour dispute at the company West Oil Software, Kazakhstan.

UZBEK COTTON HARVEST 2023: RISK OF FORCED LABOR REMAINS HIGH

Uzbek Forum for Human Rights published its report on the 2023 cotton harvest in Uzbekistan. Monitoring findings show that although there was no widespread, systematic, government-imposed forced labor during the 2023 harvest, an acute shortage of pickers in several districts led to coercion by officials to recruit sufficient numbers of pickers to fulfill production targets.