Women Migrants from Turkmenistan: Without Documents, Without Protection, Without the Right to Return

The Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement “Dayanç” (Turkmenistan) invites you to watch an interview by Radio Azatlyk addressing a critically important and often overlooked issue — the situation of women migrants, who are among the most vulnerable categories of Turkmen citizens abroad. One of the key problems is the lack of identity documents. Diplomatic missions of Turkmenistan systematically refuse to issue passports to their citizens abroad, thereby violating their own national legislation — specifically Article 29, paragraph 3 of the Migration Law, which guarantees citizens the right to obtain documents through consular services. The second serious issue is the restriction on the right to leave the country. If a migrant woman returns to Turkmenistan, she risks being subjected to an exit ban for several years under Article 30, paragraph 9 of the Migration Law. This provision directly contradicts international law, including the right to freedom of movement and the right to family reunification. As a result, hundreds and thousands of citizens find themselves effectively trapped: they cannot safely return home without risking isolation, yet they are unable to legalize their status abroad due to the lack of documents. In such conditions, any meaningful support from the state or diplomatic missions is absent. The system in Turkmenistan is structured in a way that operates against the interests of its own citizens, depriving them of fundamental rights and opportunities. Women face particularly severe hardships. Without documents, they become extremely vulnerable — deprived of access to healthcare, legal protection, formal employment, and basic rights. In many cases, their situation resembles modern forms of exploitation and systemic vulnerability. A natural question arises: why do they not return home? The answer is clear: economic collapse in the country, extremely low wages that do not correspond to the cost of living, lack of employment opportunities, and most importantly — the fear that they will not be allowed to leave the country again after returning. As a result, many are forced to choose between two difficult realities: to remain abroad without documents — or to return home and lose their freedom of movement. The interview features Diana Dadasheva, Chair of the Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement “Dayanç”, as well as a woman migrant from Turkmenistan whose name has been changed for security reasons. Interview links: https://youtu.be/8Kxby_yxkoA?si=e7oigwzbA5jATn0X⁠� https://youtu.be/aDBuYpOOOXU?si=TYWjwHeD5VMwB9LJ⁠�