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Malawian Women Tricked Into Working at Russian Drone Facility, Lawmakers Demand Action
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Malawi lawmakers plan to demand an explanation from the government over reports that Malawian women were recruited to work on drone production at Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone after being promised hospitality jobs and study opportunities, according to the Nyasa Times on November 8.
The outlet reported that Human Rights Watch’s Southern Africa office is consulting its Moscow-based team “to provide details” on whether Malawians were recruited under the Alabuga Start program, according to HRW Senior Africa Researcher Idriss Ali Nassah.
The Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) chair, Robert Mkwezalamba, added that his group has engaged ministers “to verify the claims.”
Earlier this year, Malawi24 said HRCC had formally asked the government to investigate and work with the United Nations and Interpol after reports that at least two Malawian women were in Alabuga, urging steps to locate and repatriate them.
Russia’s embassy in South Africa has rejected the exploitation allegations tied to Alabuga Start. In an August 28 statement, it said it had “no information…of foreign nationals being subjected to forced labour, tricked into some actions, or otherwise experiencing violation of their rights in the course of the programme.”
The Alabuga SEZ and its Alabuga Start recruitment drive have drawn international scrutiny since investigations detailed the hiring of young women from Africa and elsewhere for drone assembly.
The Associated Press investigation reported about 200 African women employed alongside Russian vocational students at the site, while research by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime describes Alabuga Start and identifies the SEZ as a production hub for drones used by Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Earlier, it was reported that recruitment efforts targeted women from Africa and Asia via programmes like “Start” in the Alabuga SEZ, with promises of career & salary, but actual work in drone factories.
