No certificate – no housing: Turkmenistan authorities have staged a “strike” for citizens with disabilities and children from single-parent families.
In the city of Turkmenabad, Lebap Oblast, people with disabilities and children of single parents on the waiting list for social housing are not given the certificates they need to stay in the queue. The reason is that the legal guardians of these citizens allegedly do not live near them. This was reported by Radio Azatlyk.
According to their information, citizens with disabilities do not agree with the explanations of officials, because the guardians are in Turkey for work. Dozens of people live in dormitories at the Turkmenabad Chemical Plant and Textile Factory. To confirm and maintain the queue, it is necessary to submit a certificate twice a year to the City Hall that citizens and their legal guardians live in the dormitory.
Most of the children living in the hostel have one of their parents working in Turkey. Meanwhile, their children are under the care of relatives or grandparents. For officials, this is a reason to set a trap – if the hostel does not spend the night, then there is no need to issue a certificate. According to those who shared the situation, Turkmenabad City Hall warned people that those who did not hand in the required certificate would be excluded from the list and lose their turn. This applies even to those who have been in line for 10 years to receive social square meters.
According to the residents of the dormitory, one family lives in each room of the building. Each building has one toilet, one shower room, and one kitchen. And all families use this one toilet, one shower room and one kitchen. The repair works in them are done at the expense of the residents. In addition, the necessary means in them are also purchased at the expense of the residents, while they need help.
The Turkmen authorities claim that the government takes “special care” of persons with disabilities and children from single-parent families. But in fact, can bureaucratic obstacles be called care? Or the poor quality social products spoilt by bugs and insects – is this care for the needy?
In April 2022, citizens with disabilities from the Lebap region shared that the state does not build enough social housing and the queue to receive it is not moving forward. However, the authorities have the resources to build Arkadag and plan new projects.
What to say if the authorities even avoid giving official data on the number of citizens with disabilities and single parents?
Meanwhile, due to the difficult economic situation and mass unemployment in Turkmenistan, hundreds of thousands of citizens have had to become labor migrants, leaving to work in other countries. Thus, people are saving their families from disaster and hunger strikes.
