Lonesome Road – The story of Iranian Truck Drivers of Georgia

Despite all the progress and advancements human beings have achieved in the recent years, there is still an unsolved problem that takes its toll on our communities and that is Loneliness! Human beings are being pushed towards a more individualistic lifestyle while we were never meant to be alone. As a public health crisis, many individuals are currently struggling with loneliness and social isolation, which based on various studies, can adversely affect our physical health as well, including increased risk of stroke, other cardiovascular diseases, and dementia.

In Georgia, hundreds of Iranian truck drivers are involved in Georgia's international trade. The community has much expanded over the time that currently several parking spots around Tbilisi, as well as other cities around the country, are continuously frequented by Iranian truckers. While most of these drivers spend several consecutive weeks to months in Georgia, in almost all cases, all their families live in Iran. Being an Iranian truck driver in Georgia means tackling with various challenges including being away from your family and friends for quite a long time, doing an arduous job in a foreign land, having limited access to healthcare and personal hygiene facilities, etc. On top of everything, however, the loneliness is the main challenge burdening on their shoulders.

This community provides an example of a part of our society that is systematically and routinely subjected to loneliness and its side effects. As a trucker, they spend most of their time in complete aloneness which makes it quite hard to maintain mental and physical health, and to address family-related issues specially as a father of a family in a male-dominated society (Iran) where the presence of the father/husband is very much needed.

This becomes even more complicated once a driver works in a foreign country, while his family lives in another place as a consequence of immigration barriers for Iranian citizens. Even the truckers themselves have quite a hard time when it comes to moving between countries. Despite the fact that crossing the borders is a fundamental prerequisite of their career, many of them have been subjected to arbitrary actions limiting their mobility, despite the completeness of their documents, and solely due to their Iranian nationality.