***UN experts expressed grave concern over credible and well-documented allegations of long-standing trafficking and forced labour of migrant women in the Golyanovo district of Moscow, in Russia.
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The victims, primarily from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, have reportedly been subjected to extreme forms of exploitation and violence for decades.
“The facts described reveal deeply disturbing patterns of trafficking in persons and contemporary forms of slavery, enabled by systemic failures in the Russian legal and institutional framework,” the experts said. “The lack of effective and timely investigations and the fact that perpetrators are not held accountable fuels impunity which is unacceptable.”
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“These women were isolated, abused, and stripped of all autonomy. The scale and duration of the abuse, coupled with the authorities’ failure to act despite repeated complaints, point to a deeply entrenched system of exploitation,” the experts said.
Despite dozens of complaints from victims and civil society organisations since the 1990s, Russian authorities have failed to conduct effective investigations, even refusing to register cases.
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