Awareness in Central Asian States of Discrimination Against Labor Migrants Abroad

Abstract

AbstractLabor migration and the treatment of Central Asian (CA) migrants abroad is an important issue discussed among the wider public and the human rights community both within and outside the region. This chapter compares cross-country survey data on awareness about specific human rights-related matters taken from the migration section of the Central Asia Barometer Survey (CAB Survey) conducted in fall 2021 and spring 2022. The data helps us understand how societies in all five CA countries perceive migration issues in general, with a focus on the treatment of their citizens as labor migrants abroad. This data is illustrated by comparing the public attitudes toward labor migration in the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022. The findings indicate that most respondents across Central Asia are indeed concerned about the treatment of labor migrants in host countries. Concern about this topic in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan increased slightly from fall 2021 to spring 2022. However, the degree of concern varies across the different Central Asian states and societies, a phenomenon that we discuss in our paper as an effect of response and nonresponse bias within an authoritarian context, thus also shedding light on the situation regarding freedom of speech and expression in Central Asia.