Tajikistan recently submitted a combined initial, second and third periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The report outlines the status of the state’s implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which it ratified on 26 June 1993. The report describes the status of women in the context of a recently ended civil war and a newly democratic state. Tajikistan reports that it has passed legislation under The Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan that punishes acts that indicate discrimination against women. The state notes that the number of cases that have been brought to the courts and the true number of victims of violence are not equal. Few cases have been brought to the courts, but Tajikistan attributes this to a reluctance on the part of women to discuss their experiences with law enforcement. The state also voiced support for the collection of data and the study of violence against women, as well as educational programs for the public and for government employees, medical personnel, journalists and police officers.
Domestic violence is an issue of great concern as very few women report this form of violence. There are, however, criminal provisions that punish family violence. The report acknowledges that few men have been criminally charged unders such provisions.
Compiled from: Combined initial, second and third periodic report of States Parties Tajikistan, to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, U.N. Doc. CEDAW/C/TJK/1-3, 7 June 2005.