African women who go through the Alabuga START program will likely face many nasty situations. Aside from the forced labor and unsafe work practices, life in Alabuga is dominated by drug crime and murder. African women are also likely to experience vile racist abuse.
Sex, Drugs & Racism: Life in Alabuga
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Drugs and murder in Alabuga: "Neither the security nor the police arrived"
Over the last two years there have been dozens of media reports about drug crime, robbery, and murder in Alabuga. Drug gangs are known to operate in Alabuga, with Mephedrone being one of the most prevalent drugs. An amphetamine, Mephedrone is a highly addictive drug making people who are vulnerable susceptible to exploitation.
This drugs industry is taking place against a backdrop of crime and disorder in Alabuga. Whilst authorities may make it very hard for people to leave the city due to its manufacturing of weapons for Russia’s war in Ukraine, they are equally poor in policing and governing. Local media has documented the Russian police’s lazy and slow response to crimes, with many cases of murder often linked to substance abuse.
Racism and violence: "Why do they hate us?"
Francois Njelassili from Gabon was stabbed to death for being black. Minding his own business with friends at a Burger King in the city of Yekaterinburg, two young Russian men hurled racist abuse at him before stabbing him to death. Naturally, the police stood by and watched for most of the attack. Dania Fomin, one of the attackers, is said to have links to white supremacist groups and was the subject of a fundraising campaign on a neo-Nazi Telegram channel. One of the victim’s friends expressed depressingly to one media outlet that Njelassili’s parents "trusted Russia… how can you tell them that their only son died… Why do they hate us?" In other incidents, the attackers film themselves beating up Africans. Such shameless publicity for their perverse actions shows they are unlikely to be punished for their crimes. The Russian authorities don’t care about the lives of black people.
Trafficking to Prostitution: "Maltreated like donkeys."
It is unknown why the Alabuga START program is so keen to recruit very young African women, including girls from orphanages in Uganda. Some speculate that young women are easy to control, manipulate and exploit. Many women are not receiving anywhere near their promised salaries, with one woman telling AP that they’re "maltreated like donkeys". In interviews between Eris Network and women in Alabuga, some have lost their jobs at the site, but at the same time are not allowed to return home. They have been forced to sell themselves for sex to earn a living.
