Russia launching state program promoting tolerance

Russia’s Public Chamber plans to develop a program promoting tolerance among Russian citizens towards immigrant workers, Russian news agencies report. This move could be very welcome by human rights organizations, that repeatedly voice concerns about the level of xenophobia in Russia.

The decision was announced at the public hearings of the Chamber, a formally nongovernmental organization that was established to represent a civil society to the President. The Wednesday hearings were dedicated to rights of migrants, who stream into Russia from poorer ex-Soviet republics to do the hard and low-qualified work that still pays better than most jobs at home.

The Russians’ attitude towards such labor migrants, often staying in the country illegally, is very negative, human rights activist Alla Gerber was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying. Up to 90 percent suggest to “throw them all out”, she said.

The Federal Migration Service echoed her speech, adding also that that anti-migrant publications led to nationalism and could seriously damage Russia’s image abroad.

His concerns could be justified, as Russia is frequently criticized by Russian and international human rights defenders for the level of racism and xenophobia. During a February meeting with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Russia humbly accepted the critical reports and promised to tackle it down through education and monitoring of extremist groups.