KYRGYZSTAN TODAY Policy briefs on - Department of Geography

Simplifying the process of getting temporary registration
Ideally, a long-term policy would be to get rid of the institution of registration
completely. However, given the present realities, it is more feasible to suggest ways to
simplify the process of getting temporary registration. Recently, a group of researchers
from AUCA and two legal experts developed a proposal to allow much easier and more
effective way of registering in the city. Currently, a working group has been created in
the Mayor’s Office to analyze this proposal and seek the ways of its implementation.
Improving the financial situation of migrants: Social Enterprise
However, as the results of this study show, it is not enough to simply legalize
migrants’ presence in the city. There is a strong need to address the financial aspects
of migrant’s lives. Among those Bishkek migrants who are relatively homogeneous in
many characteristics, but economically diverse, one group is the most disadvantaged.
This group does not have stable jobs or initial capital to start a business; many of them
do not have the support of relatives. To help this marginalized group of the migrants’
community, the research proposes to introduce and disseminate the concept of a Social
Enterprise as one way to help migrants smoothly find their niche in the city. The practice
of social enterprises is quite common and popular in many countries around the world.
Such enterprises give people the opportunity to gain special qualifications while
working and earning money. Social enterprises are often offered a number of economic
incentives, like tax holidays or donor contributions, to offset the costs of establishment
and maintenance. By targeting its efforts, the chain of such enterprises could engage
a large body of poor newcomers to the city and offer them a gradual and meaningful
transition. The skills offered at such enterprises could be based on the city’s demand for
specific types of labor. This would be beneficial for both the city and for migrants.
Improving language skills
One other aspect that social enterprises could address as a part of their program is
Russian language courses. As shown by the results of this study, migrants with better
Russian language skills experience less discrimination. Setting up a network of evening
courses on the Russian language could help migrants learn the basics or improve their
current Russian skills. This would significantly increase their chances of getting better
jobs and establishing better communication with city residents, Russian-speaking
medical personnel in the hospitals, police officers, government office workers, etc. If
the government cannot itself fund such an initiative, collaboration could be sought
with international development agencies and funding bodies to establish and run such
networks.
The contrary/additional language policy would be to recommend government,
police and medical officers to start learning Kyrgyz. The Kyrgyz language will inevitably
be the most widely-spoken language in the country. Therefore, the nation needs policies
and programs that encourage and enable non-Kyrgyz speaking groups to start learning
Kyrgyz.
Medical treatment for migrants
The research also recommends changes in the ways that migrants are treated in
Bishkek hospitals. If the residential registry issue is solved, then this problem is solved
automatically and migrants will have the same rights as city residents. However, if the
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