Long-distance Marriage: Why Do Central Asian Labor Migrants "Abandon Their Wives and Children"?
It's no secret to Tajikistans that there are endless possibilities for working in Russia, including obtaining citizenship, buying a house, buying a car, hosting a lavish wedding, pursuing a higher education, and even starting a business on their own. But just as there are two sides to the coin, going abroad will also have a negative impact on the fate of ordinary people.
As early as 2009, a study conducted by the International Organization for Migration yielded unexpected results: 230,000-280,000 migrants in Tajikistan divorced or "lost contact" with their wives.
Recently, such incidents have recurred, with many Tajikistani women complaining of their husbands disappearing or remarried.
Although some experts believe that this is a normal phenomenon caused by increased immigration, the plight of women cannot be ignored. What exactly is causing this problem?
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Finding "True Love" in Moscow
Guldofalid, 31, of Gavrov District, Sogt State, said her husband had promised to return home within seven months to help solve the family's financial problems by going abroad to earn money. But it backfired, and after 7 months, the husband not only did not return home as promised, but even completely "disappeared".
"After a while, he sent me a picture of himself with his girlfriend and said he had found 'true love.'" Guldofarid said sadly.
Muhabat, 39, suffered the same thing. After she gave birth to three children, her husband decided to go to Russia to work.
Muhabat said: "At first, he also returned home from foreign exchanges, but after a while, under the pretext that the money was stolen, he slowly and directly cut off contact. ”
In the end, the Tajikistani woman had to work alone in the market with her three children, and the eldest son would also work odd jobs to subsidize the family.
It wasn't until one day, muhabat met an old classmate at the market, that he learned that the "missing" husband had married a Russian woman and had given birth to a child abroad.
Dushanbe,37-year-old Lucia and her husband have been married for 13 years and have four children. Her husband has been working in Russia all these years and comes back every two years for a month.
But Lucia's husband didn't take much care of the family. He works as a dishwasher in Russia, earns a very low income — about 500 rubles a day — eats and drinks enough for himself, and has no other plans to make money.
By chance, Lucia saw her husband's phone full of ambiguous chat records and photos with different women. When Lucia asks her husband to change his mind and take care of the children and family, he says he wants a divorce.
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What should I do if my husband runs away?
Sadokat Rustam, director of the Information Centre of the Commission on Women's and Family Affairs of Tajikistan, said that in 2021, 42 women turned to the agency for help because of this problem. The Committee first provides them with material assistance.
"We work closely with the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education to provide jobs for left-behind women, to help them integrate into society and to educate their children. Women can also apply for presidential allowances to develop careers or start businesses. Rustam said.
Lawyer Zuhla Mubolova said the law was entirely on the side of women in this case. Wives who have been "abandoned" by their husbands have many opportunities to assert their rights: from suing for alimony to demanding criminal proceedings against their husbands.
"Women can claim alimony for themselves before the child reaches the age of 3 and require maintenance until the child reaches adulthood." Mupolova explains.
In addition, an agreement was reached between Tajikistan and Russia to soften the legal process. According to the regulations, women can go to the courts of Tajikistan or Russia to prosecute.
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Why do male immigrants betray marriages?
Tajikistan psychologist Mariam Davlatova believes that the main reason for the breakdown of the marriage relationship is not immigration, but the lack of preparation of both spouses for marriage.
"Men are not prepared to fulfill their marital responsibilities. Their parents chose wives for them, but they were not socially, materially, or even psychologically prepared to marry. Davlatova said that by letting such a partner who has no experience with the family go abroad to earn money, the possibility of relationship breakdown will increase significantly.
"He left home, he lacked love, his parents weren't around, and there were thousands of other reasons to come to another woman." Davlatova added.
It is therefore a mistake to blame the breakdown of immigrant families entirely on going abroad. Immigration is a test of resilience and does not destroy strong marital relationships. After all, not all male immigrants abandon their wives and children.
Source: Satellite Network
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