Polygamy on the Rise in Turkmenistan: Wives of Labor Migrants Increasingly Become Victims of Betrayal

Polygamy on the Rise in Turkmenistan: Wives of Labor Migrants Increasingly Become Victims of Betrayal Polygamy is becoming an increasingly visible social issue in Turkmenistan amid the country's ongoing economic crisis, with women whose husbands leave to work abroad among those most affected. This is the focus of an article published by Azatlyk Radiosy on July 22, 2026. According to the report, many Turkmen women are forced to support their families while their husbands work abroad. However, after years of hard labor, some discover that their husbands have taken second wives, abandoned their original families, and stopped providing financial support. One of the women featured in the report is Nasiba, a 48-year-old resident of Farap. In 2009, she traveled to Turkey to earn money for her children's future and to finance major repairs to the family home. For ten years, she worked in physically demanding jobs and regularly sent money to her husband and children. According to her, the funds she earned were used to renovate the house and purchase a car. After returning to Turkmenistan to address health issues and obtain a new biometric passport, her husband persuaded her to go back to Turkey for another period of labor migration. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nasiba lost her job. It was then, she says, that she discovered her husband had stopped supporting the family and had begun living with another woman. Upon returning home after years of difficult work, Nasiba says her husband openly admitted that he had another family and demanded that she leave their home. She states that after fourteen years of hard work, she was left without housing, financial security, or meaningful protection from the authorities. According to Nasiba, her appeals to state institutions produced no results. She says that because the second marriage was never officially registered, protecting her rights has been extremely difficult, while law enforcement and other government agencies have provided little assistance. Azatlyk Radiosy notes that Nasiba's case is far from unique. Although polygamy is officially prohibited in Turkmenistan, such relationships continue to exist unofficially, often being formalized only through a religious marriage ceremony. Experts and sources interviewed by the outlet link the growing prevalence of polygamy to the country's difficult economic conditions, high unemployment, corruption, and large-scale labor migration. They argue that the lack of social protections and effective legal remedies leaves women particularly vulnerable. The report also highlights the limited public discussion surrounding domestic abuse, infidelity, discrimination against women, and the protection of women's rights. According to experts, state institutions have failed to respond adequately to these issues, allowing such practices to persist. Although Turkmen law formally prohibits polygamy, the article concludes that many women remain without effective legal protection and are left to cope with these hardships on their own. Source: Azatlyk Radiosy (Radio Azatlyk), July 22, 2026. https://www.azathabar.com/a/33810478.html