Tajikistan

The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan has strengthened legislative and institutional responses to prevent and respond to domestic violence (DV) with a more survivor-centered and gender-responsive legal system, with the revision and endorsement of a new Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence (LPDV) in Tajikistan. Thanks to UN Women’s work, key improvements including free health services and shelters for survivors of domestic violence, addressing immediate needs, extending protection orders, increasing the duration of initial orders from 15 to 30 days and extensions from 30 to 60 days, as well as introducing hotlines providing survivors with accessible and immediate support were implemented. This result is directly demonstrating the government of Tajikistan’s commitments to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.As the 2013 LPDV did not recognize domestic violence as a crime, providing only for administrative liability and focusing on prevention rather than protection or punishment, UN Women, together with partners legal professionals, experts and government representatives organized a National Consultation to submit an updated legal text. UN Women worked together with UNFPA, the World Bank, the OSCE, as well as key national stakeholders and the Parliamentary Working Group to update the 2013 law. The endorsement of the new law resulted in key improvements, directly implemented by Public Organizations (PO) and Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs). UN Women worked closely with the Association of Crisis Centers to help them adapt their service offers to the new legal requirements.To update and endorse the new law, UN Women and partners united their efforts – organizing working groups with government bodies representatives, hiring a consultant to review the text – to encourage the endorsement on new normative rules to ensure better prevention and protection services for survivors of domestic violence. These efforts culminated in the endorsement of the revised law by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, introducing critical enhancements to protect and support survivors of gender-based violence, and established a Multisectoral Coordination Group on Domestic Violence, ensuring a more comprehensive and coordinated response to gender-based violence.This result contributed directly to Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and more specifically Target 5.2 on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. These advancements represent a significant step toward building a safer and more supportive environment for survivors of domestic violence in Tajikistan, made possible through effective partnerships and sustained advocacy.

The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan revised the list of jobs prohibited for women in Tajikistan resulting in removal of 141 our of 336 types of jobs in which women's work was limited. The Government adopted Resolution # 568 on “Approved List of jobs in which the use of women’s labor is prohibited”. Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan establishes a ban on the use of the labor of women and minors in heavy work and underground work and prohibits working with harmful working conditions. And the Decree of the Government of Tajikistan dated April 4, 2017 “On the List of Works where the use of women’s labor and the maximum allowable load standards for them when lifting and moving weights by hand” contained a ban on women in 336 professions. This was critical as the list of professions prohibited for women is the legacy of the past, and its reduction will support the national economy and will allow many women find a job they prefer and realize themselves professionally. This achievement is significant because it removes one form of structural barrier faced by women by eliminating the legal restrictions stated above in the field of women's employment and promoting women's participation in employment. The EU also recommended this legal change when Tajikistan went through the procedure of the GSP+mechanism.
“According to the UN Convention on CEDAW 2018: it is recommended to repeal articles 160, 161 and 216 of the Labor Code and reduce the list of prohibited professions for women to ensure that any restrictions are applied on the basis of individual abilities, not women in general." (https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N18/378/38/PDF/N1837838.pdf?OpenElement/Concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Tajikistan, page 12/17.
These accomplishments can be attributed to consistent support by the NRA Office to the GEWE agenda in Tajikistan. UN Women used its strategic position to enhance coordination between the Government, particularly Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of the Population (MoLMEP), International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), members of the Working Group (WG) under the MoLMEP and Civil Society Organizations’ (CSO) representatives to synergize efforts internally across thematic units to address gender responsive legal reforms in the field of employment. UN Women helped achieve this result by providing technical support to the Ministry through hiring consultant to revise the list of jobs, present the results of the working group to representatives of related line ministries. In addition, this development had been reported in the Confidential UNCT Report as preparation for CEDAW 87 Session scheduled in January 2024 for Tajikistan.
The result contributed to SDG goal 5 - Gender Equality; 8 - Decent work & economic growth; 10 - Reduced inequalities and UNSDCF Outcome 4. People-centred governance and rule of law