Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- Georgia Threatened by Demographic Crisis TBILISI, Sep 6, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Georgia faces a major demographic crisis now that young, capable people are fleeing the impoverished Caucasian country, a senior official for migration and refugee issues told AFP. "Statistics supplied by independent sources feature a catastrophic figure -- 900,000 Georgians have left the country. For a nation of three million people, it's a sign of a demographic catastrophe," Toma Gugushvili warned. People between 17 and 38 years of age are the first to flee from the former Soviet republic's unstable economy and political life, Gugushvili said. Russia is the prime destination, with its 600,000-strong Georgian population constantly on the rise, closely followed by Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United States and Greece. Over 70 percent of those who leave Georgia on fake tourist trips then swell the ranks of Europe's refugee population, never returning home, Gugushvili said. In addition to illegal means of escape, Georgia boasts a large number of agencies offering employment abroad, that operate despite the lack of a corresponding law. The agencies rarely have prestigious jobs to offer their customers, but Georgians are still eager to leave their homeland, where wages average 12 dollars a month. "Often specialists with two diplomas and language skills leave to become babysitters. Considering the level of unemployment and the meager salaries which are not paid for months, our offers will be more and more popular," an employment agency director told AFP. The would-be emigrants are different socially, with more now coming from the mountainous provinces, the director, who declined to be named, said. The wave of emigration, which young people consider quite natural, causes no small alarm to their middle-aged parents, even though they confess that their children might have no future at home. "I see no possibilities for my son here, but I do not like the fact that young Georgians wander about the world and shelter in refugee camps when their country needs their abilities and intellect," 50-year-old teacher Keti Vadachkoria said. Georgia's official statistics committee declined to confirm Gugushvili's numbers, adding bitterly that they had no funds to conduct such research after last year's census failed for lack of financing. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
