"11 Indian Workers’ Deaths in Georgia Highlight Lack of Safeguards for Migrant Rights

The shocking death of 11 Indian workers at a resort in Gudauri, Georgia – a popular skiing and paragliding destination in the Caucasus mountains on the Georgia-Russia border – shook their home country. The tragedy has also spotlighted a glaring lack of legal safeguards for millions of Indian workers leaving the country for better economic opportunities abroad.  

All the workers were asphyxiated to death by carbon monoxide poisoning at the living quarters of Haveli, the Indian restaurant in Gudauri where they worked. In addition to the 11 Indian nationals, a Georgian citizen was also killed. The 12 bodies were found on December 14. 

According to preliminary investigations, “a power generator was placed in an indoor area, closed space near the [deceaseds’] bedrooms, which was turned on yesterday [December 13], probably after the power supply was turned off,” said a statement from Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The statement added that the gruesome tragedy “implies negligent manslaughter.”...

The relatives highlighted poverty and lack of opportunities in rural Punjab as the trigger for their kin’s migration. They said the migrants paid between $5,000 and $10,000 in agents’ fees and travel expenses – taking loans against agricultural land or pawning family jewels to go abroad...

Labor rights activists say that the Indian government needs to urgently address the recurring problem of lack of safety for Indian migrant labor. “We’ve been expressing grave concerns to the government for years as there are no formal checks and balances in place to ensure worker safety abroad. But not much has been done. The government reacts only in crisis,” said New Delhi-based labor activist Navsharan Jyot.

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