With the systemic changes of the 1990s, labor migration in Georgia took on significant proportions and continues to shape the socio-economic situation of many Georgians today. Almost every family is affected by migration or knows at least one close family friend who has migrated. Labor migration is not only a phenomenon of men, but also of women, who account for a significant proportion of seasonal and irregular migration. According to GeoStat, between 2002 and 2021, one-third of permanent emigrants were women, especially those aged 50 and over. Many of them were and are trying to support their families due to poverty and unemployment. They seek to earn money abroad in irregular and low-paid jobs for those who stayed at home. Increasingly, many of these women are returning home and facing new, often unexpected, problems as they are confronted with poorer living conditions in their home country and little financial security. The complex issue of migration and remigration is well known in Georgian society, but there is hardly any valid research and media content on it.
The Batumelebi project ‘Voices of Georgian Women in Labour Emigration’ aims to fill this gap. The project aims to gather information about the ways Georgian women cope with migration, especially remigration, and to share this knowledge with the public. The stories, experiences, and advice of migrant women will help potential migrants to deal with the situation abroad. Asking questions about migrant women's motivations to remigrate and the problems they face upon return will lead to a better understanding of migration and remigration. It will also help to raise the political awareness of the public and decision-makers about migrant issues. The output of the collected data will be made available in the Georgian and Russian languages on social media platforms as well as on the websites of Netgazeti and Batumelebi. Although emigration is unlikely to be halted in the near future, Georgian society can develop adaptive strategies, especially with regard to remigration. Batumelebi wants to support the process of successful remigration in order to develop a stronger Georgian society.
