Tajik woman and children living in container for years
Life in a rusty container: A Tajik woman with small children has been living in a metal container for several years
11.06.2025
Article published on the rus.azattyq.org website
Thirty-six year old Mekhvaroi Rakhimova from a village in Tajikistan has been living in a metal container with her two young daughters for several years. She says she has nowhere else to go.
The container lies on the outskirts of the Tajik village of Chorbog, not far from the capital. It has no facilities: no water, no toilet and no ventilation – just a roof that leaks when it rains, walls and a door, as well as being oppressive when the weather is hot.
“Sometimes out of desperation, I take my children to one of my neighbours but there’s a limit to how long I can continue to do this. It’s so hard”, she says,
Mekhvaroi also said that attempts have already been made to evict her for using electricity illegally. The woman denies this, saying that she does pay for electricity and has the receipts to prove it. The owner of the container has not offered any help, saying this is something “she has to sort out on her own”.
She and her husband are divorced – he left after the birth of their younger daughter and has not been in contact since. The woman has no idea where he is now and says she cannot move back with her parents as she “would be an extra mouth to feed”. She used to receive some support from her brother but he’s now married, has a job in Russia and leading his own life.
Mekhvaroi has no education. Her parents didn’t let her finish school because the family couldn’t afford it. She worked as a dishwasher but two months ago, a spinal condition forced her to quit her job. Now that her health has started to recover a little, she is trying to find another position.
“I have no facilities here at all. There’s no-one who could look after my children so I can go out to work. I am looking for something I can do”, she says.
The woman has repeatedly asked her local authority for help but to no avail. She is not officially registered in the mahalla and so not classed as being poor and therefore cannot be included on the list of those in need.
The village of Chorbog where Mekhvaroi and her children live is ten kilometres from the capital, Dushanbe. The head of the local jamaat told reporters that he was aware of the family’s situation but declined to comment further. The woman can only dream of having a home and to hope that some kind person could be willing to help.
- The woman can be contacted by telephone on +992 933 206 507. Her Dushanbe national identity card no. is 9762 0001 5979 6985 in the name of Mekhvaroi Rakhimova. She does not speak Russian.
