Two Kyrgyz Sisters Rescued From Forced Labor in Shymkent

Two sisters from Kyrgyzstan — one a minor — were held against their will and forced to work in Kazakhstan, Orda.kz reports.

According to the Kyrgyz outlet 24.kg, which cited the country’s Ombudsman, the case began in early October when a woman from the Osh region sought help from human rights defender Jamila Dzhamanbaeva.

She said her 16- and 18-year-old daughters had been taken to Shymkent last March by a family acquaintance who promised them work and proper care.

Soon after, they told their mother they were being physically assaulted and forced to work long hours.

They worked for two sisters at a market and then carried heavy sacks in a warehouse. When they said they wanted to leave, they were beaten. The employer refused to let them go, claiming they had ‘agreed for three years,’
 the mother told the Ombudsman.

The woman said her daughters’ documents were taken, preventing them from returning home. 

Following her appeal, the Ombudsman sent formal inquiries to the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. With the help of diplomats and members of the Kyrgyz diaspora, the girls were located in Shymkent and later reunited with their mother in Kyrgyzstan.

Orda.kz has requested comment from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the incident.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva