 | | Map source: Human Rights Watch |
Population of women: 3,158,000/6,297,000
Life expectancy of women (at birth): 71.4 yrs
School life expectancy for women: 9 yrs
Adult illiteracy for women: 1.2%
Unemployment of women: 2.9%
Adult economic activity rate: 60%
Source: U.N. Statistics Division, Social Indicators, updated 12 July 2004 (Some statistics provided may be from previous years and other sources as cited by the U.N. Statistics Division)
last updated July 15, 2004
According to the Constitution of Tajikistan, all individuals are equal before the law and courts, rights and freedoms are guaranteed irrespective of ethnicity, race, sex, language, faith, political beliefs, education, or social or property status and women and men have equal rights (Articles 17). However, traditional attitudes and norms often interfere with these rights and place women in unequal positions.
According to the World Health Organization, 50% of Tajik women reported experiencing some form of violence by a family member, while 47% reported experiencing sexual violence by their husbands. Because of traditional attitudes of gendered roles and male dominance, many men in Tajikistan do not feel that beating their wife is physical violence. Further, as domestic violence is believed to be a private matter, local police do not intervene in these matters. Although there are a few NGOs which provide support to trafficked or abused women, there are no government-sponsored programs or rehabilitation centers to assist women who have been raped, abused or trafficked.
Rape is often unreported because of the victim's fear and shame. The police have no special training in the investigations of rape; however, of the cases that do progress to criminal proceedings, over 97% end in convictions. The Criminal Code does not directly address domestic violence, but other provisions regarding rape, abuse, beating, torture and damage to health are available. Rape is prohibited under Article 138 of the Criminal Code and carries a punishment of three to seven years' imprisonment. However, depending on the severity of the crime and the age of the victim, the offender may be sentenced up to twenty years or even to death. There is no special provision in the Criminal Code addressing marital rape, and there have been no complaints in the last 20 years.
Prostitution is considered illegal, but women who are caught are often fined and released. Running a brothel is illegal under Article 239 and is punishable by fine or up to five years' imprisonment. Article 239 punishes anyone who involves another in prostitution by a fine or up to two years' imprisonment. The average age of prostitutes, which has dropped alarmingly in past years, is approximately eleven or twelve years; Article 141 criminalizes sexual intercourse with persons under 16 years of age by up to five years in prison.
Tajikistan is both a country of origin and a transit country for trafficked women. Many of the prominent traffickers in Tajikistan are women and "warlords" who rose to power during the Tajik Civil War. Until recently, there was no law specifically prohibiting trafficking, although Article 132 of the Criminal Code was used to combat the recruitment of people for exploitation. A new bill, adopted by the Lower House of Tajikistan's parliament in May 2003, specifically makes trafficking in human beings a crime.
Compiled from:
Women 2000-An Investigation into the Status of Women's Rights in Central and South-Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 11 May 2000.
2001 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Tajikistan, U.S. Department of State; Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 4 March 2002
2003 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Addendum 1, 27 February 2003.
A Form of Slavery: Trafficking of Women in OSCE Member States, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 19 June 2000 (PDF, 91 pages).
Tajikistan Criminalizes Trafficking in Human Beings, Legislationline, 23 May 2003. | 
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