Georgia is Amongst Countries Receiving Trafficking Victims

Georgia is Amongst Countries Receiving Trafficking Victims

Russian Men Fall Victim to Labour Trafficking in Georgia

Incidents of trafficking have been discovered in the village of Tsaishi in the Zugdidi region. The trafficking victims are all Russian citizens. The victims; Vladimer and Viktor, were forced into indentured servitude by labour trafficker Ketevan Silagava. The Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Police department has started a criminal case regarding the above facts.

According to one of the victims, Ketevan Silagava promised to provide the Muscovites with well paid jobs, but instead trafficked them for use as labour in Georgia. They were then forced to do hard work for three years without any reimbursement. During this time they were staying illegally in Georgia without any documentation such as visas or passports. After evidence was given in testimony, it became apparent that Ketevan Silagava had managed to sell the house of one of his victims for $75,000. The trafficking suspect, Ketevan Silagava, is now in Russia. 

The Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Police Department has started a criminal investigation regarding the case. The police will not comment on the case until the investigation has been finished. The police informed the Russian Embassy about the case; however nobody at the embassy was interested or contacted the victims - who remained at the police department.

One of the two victims went back to the family who exploited him. Unlike his first testimony, he now claims to want to work for the family. The second victim, who has now been provided with accommodation, only commented to say: “I do not want to go back to slavery!”   

Although witnesses state that Silagava trapped three people through his labour trafficking activities in Georgia, the name of the third victim, as well as his place of work, is unknown.

Maia Gubeladze from Zugdidi