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TURKMENISTAN - GENDER ISSUES

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Turkmenistan is a Turkic country in Central Asia.Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the southwest, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Kazakhstan to the northwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west.Over 80% of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmenistan

 

Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan located in the southern part of the country. Country is divided into five administrative regions (velayats): Ahal, Balkan, Lebap, Mary and Dashogus each consisting of several districts (etraps).

 

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http://www.undptkm.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=43

 

TURKMENISTAN  - UNDP EDUCATES ON ETHICS & PSYCHOLOGY OF FAMILY LIFE - VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN - WOMEN'S POLITICAL, LEGAL & ECONOMIC RIGHTS

Ashgabat, 28 May 2008Ashgabat, 28 May 2008—UNDP and Women’s Union of Turkmenistan have completed today a three-day intensive training course for trainers on Ethics and Psychology of Family Life. A total of 10 participants, including managers of the Women’s Union Resource Centers and school teachers from five velayats have participated in the program.  The purpose of the TOT course was to create a pool of trainers to ensure continuity of training events and to raise awareness of violence against women among the general public with a specific emphasis towards men and elderly women. It is believed that education of general population will promote gender equality by addressing some deep-rooted traditional gender biases and changing perceptions of women’s roles which still center on marriage and motherhood.

The Resource Centres have been established by Women’s Union of Turkmenistan with UN support with the aim of strengthening the dynamic social life of women and providing women with different types of assistance and consultation. The Resource Centres promote education of women, increase their knowledge of political, legal and economic issues and create favourable conditions for development of their business activity. Through these centres, women can also discover and develop their professional capacity, launch creative initiatives, and protect their rights and freedoms. All these activities are intended to regulate various issues relating to labour, family and non-discrimination of women.

Completion of this training course will allow trained staff of to act as resource persons and mentors to women in velayats and etraps who might fall victims of domestic violence. The course has been facilitated by local public organization “Keik Okara”, which has substantial experience working in the area of empowerment of women in Turkmenistan, particularly in capacity development and skill development programmes for young people, life skills and livelihood skills training programmes for youth, and also awareness raising campaigns.

The course participants got acquainted with the main concepts of gender violence, its consequences, overview of legal acts of Turkmenistan on women’s rights and interactive means of conducting trainings.  The trained trainers will have a chance to apply acquainted knowledge and skills by delivering first series of trainings in velayats in June 2008. The trainers will use modules developed and validated by “Keik Okara”.

UNDP’s project on Gender Mainstreaming in Policy Making in Turkmenistan supports the Government of Turkmenistan in promoting gender equality and women’s advancement by enhancing national capacity for gender sensitive analysis and raising public awareness on gender issues among government officials at central and local levels and population in general. The project also facilitates participatory process of preparing the shadow CEDAW report and revising National Action Plan.

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http://www.iwpr.net/?p=btm&s=b&o=345957&apc_state=henh

TURKMENISTAN

July 30, 2008  

New DRAFT Turkmenistan Constitution Fails to Spark Public Debate

The publication of a new draft constitution for Turkmenistan has so far failed to provoke the kind of public discussion the authorities asked for.

President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov spoke about key points of the document in a speech broadcast on national television on July 21, and the draft itself was published in the newspapers the next day.

In his speech, given at a meeting of a special commission that has been drafting the constitution since April, the president said the public consultation process should enhance the document with input from people’s “wisdom and experience”. .............................................

Click website Link for Full Article.

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In Turkmenistan’s first dialogue with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, expert members challenged the country’s understanding of gender equality as presented in its report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/wom1558.doc.htm

17 May 2006

17 May 2006

 

General Assembly

WOM/1558

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Committee on Elimination of

Discrimination against Women

723rd & 724th Meetings (AM & PM)

 

CONCLUDING CONSIDERATION OF TURKMENISTAN’S REPORT, WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

 

COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS DIFFICULTIES IN ASSESSING PROGRESS

 

More, Improved Statistical Information Needed from Country

To Determine Level of Achievement of Gender Equality Goals

 

In Turkmenistan’s first dialogue with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, expert members challenged the country’s understanding of gender equality as presented in its report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.  They also expressed concern over the absence of disaggregated data in the report, which made it difficult to assess whether national gender equality goals were, indeed, being met in that country.

 

As the Committee concluded its review of the report by Turkmenistan, one expert told delegates that, although the equality of women and men was formally recognized under Turkmen law, that did not prevent women from experiencing indirect discrimination.  In the Committee’s own experience, laws that were neutral in formulation had been seen to have different effects on men and women -- the Convention was created to combat those very effects.

 

Representing her country at the meeting was the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan, Aksoltan Ataeva.  While the Committee experts welcomed her participation, several expressed regret that no “representatives from the capital” had chosen to be present.

 

When asked if women in Turkmenistan exercised their right to legal recourse when they had been discriminated against, she replied that women often preferred to settle such matters privately.  Cases of crimes against women, such as in instances of domestic violence, were rarely seen in court.  There were also no recorded cases of the Convention being invoked in court.

 

Turkmenistan had acceded to the Convention in 1996, but had not ratified the Convention’s Optional Protocol, under which the Committee was given authority to receive and consider complaints from alleged victims of discrimination.

 

One expert expressed surprise that, in preparing the report on the implementation of the Convention in Turkmenistan, assistance was sought from the Commission on Human Rights and not the Division for the Advancement of Women.

 

In presenting her country’s report to the Committee, Ms. Ataeva said the women of her country played an active role in its economic development, notably in the realm of education and health care.  The number of small businesses run by women was also growing.

 

While no one had yet invoked the Convention in Turkmen courts, she assured the Committee that the Union of Women, a non-governmental organization with 1 million members, had a right to put questions to the Government should the need arise.  In addition, an international women’s conference had recently taken place in Turkmenistan, organized by the Union of Women, demonstrating the country’s willingness to promote the advancement of women.

 

One member expert did note, however, that most pro-women policies in Turkmenistan focused on upholding the woman’s role in the family, particularly as that of mother.

 

The Committee will meet again tomorrow, Thursday, 18 May, to take up the situation of women in Guatemala.

 

Background

 

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had before it Turkmenistan’s combined initial and second periodic reports (document CEDAW/C/TKM/1-2), which discuss the country’s progress in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women that was ratified on 20 December 1996.  According to the report, judicial protection of Turkmen citizens regardless of gender is guaranteed by the Constitution and bolstered by specific legislative measures governing the workplace, the portrayal of women in the mass media, and non-discrimination in the activities of State bodies and institutions.

 

The most influential women’s organization is the Union of Women of Turkmenistan, which has approximately 1 million members.  The Union promotes the role of women in social, political and cultural life, and its leaders are members of the People’s Council (or Khalk Maslakhat, the 2,507-member executive branch of Government of which the popularly elected President of Turkmenistan is a member).  The influence of women in trade union organizations is said to be “great”, with 45 per cent of leading professional organizations being led by women.  Meanwhile, the deputy chair of the Parliament (Majlis) is a woman; one parliamentary committee is led by a woman, and all committees have female members.  Women account for more than one third of all those engaged in the administrative apparatus of the country, including that of Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers and of several ministries, and are deputy ministers, heads and deputy heads of local administrative bodies.  In the 2003 session of the People’s Council, approximately 30 per cent of the members were women.

 

The report says that, in the workplace, a system of tax incentives was established to encourage the presence of women in the workforce.  Under the system, working women with three or more children pay 30 per cent less in income tax, while mothers with five children or more pay no income tax.  An indirect increase in workers’ income is provided by the State through a tax system favouring small businesses where female employees are predominant.  Further, labour laws prohibit the refusal of employment, the firing of women or the reduction of their wages because of pregnancy, and in the case of single mothers, for reasons relating to their children up to 14 years.  There is also paid leave for pregnancy and childbirth.

 

In terms of eliminating prejudices and abolishing discriminatory models of behaviour, seminars and conferences are being conducted on the rights of women and international standards in this area, including on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.  The report adds that international acts on the rights of women have been published in the State language and are being disseminated through television, radio and the press.

 

The report says that the State does not collect statistics on gender discrimination outright; however, analyses are conducted by the Turkmen National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights on the filing of claims on labour issues.  Data is similarly collected on marriage and family conflicts.  The report also discusses women’s right of movement, free agreement in marriage and equal rights as parents.

 

Presentation of Reports

 

Introducing her country’s report to the Committee, AKSOLTAN ATAEVA ( Turkmenistan) said women were guaranteed full political, economic, social and cultural rights and freedoms under domestic law and by Turkmenistan’s international obligations.  Indeed, women played an active role in implementing the country’s National Development Programme for the period up to the year 2020.  They comprised 42 per cent of all employees of government bodies at all levels, where they held the posts of Minister of Culture, Minister of Television and Radio-Broadcasting, and Minister of Social Security.  Women were also deputy ministers, and held positions as heads and deputies of local government bodies (hkyakims) and local and administrative and territorial authorities.  They also accounted for a greater share of employees in financial management, education, public health and social security.  Just like the men of Turkmenistan, women represented their country in international forums and held responsible posts in diplomatic service.

 

She said that, at a time of radical economic transformation, the changing Constitution, legislative system and fast-growing national economy provided women with opportunities to work in any sphere.  According to data from the National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, 85 per cent of all women between the ages of 16 and 56 stood participated in the workforce.  Women also accounted for more than 50 per cent of all doctors, 62.7 per cent of high school teachers, 57.7 per cent of members of secondary level vocational training schools, and 33 per cent of teachers in higher education establishments.  They also accounted for over 50 per cent of financial workers, 49 per cent of communal service workers, 47 per cent of trade sector workers, 43 per cent of industrial workers, 23 per cent of transport sector workers, and 42 per cent of government employees.  Some 62 per cent of entrepreneurs were women, occupied mostly in small scale and retail businesses, and 10 per cent of those women ran their own business.

 

She also said that Turkmen women and men had equal access to agricultural loans and credits, and the Law of Turkmenistan on Commercial Banks and Bank Activity of October 1993, access to loans did not depend on the sex of the borrower.

 

Due to annual increases in salaries in the State sector such as in public health and culture and arts -- where mostly women were employed -- the average level of salaries had surpassed that of other State sectors where the share of men was high, she added.  The country’s gender-based development index stood at 0.716, which she believed testified that there were minimal differences among men and women in the sphere of human development.

 

Turning to the Code of Marriage and Family, she said the concept of motherhood in Turkmenistan was “surrounded by universal honour and respect”.  A comprehensive system of motherhood and childhood provided mandatory care of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the post-natal period, as well as care for children during the first five years.  Services at the regional level (velayats) also existed to reduce the incidence of mortality among mothers and infants and to help families regulate intervals between childbirths.  Awareness activities to provide nutrition, breastfeeding and a healthy way of life were also provided.

 

Finally, Turkmenistan’s legislation established equal rights to marriage for men and women, where provisions prohibit any direct or indirect restrictions of those rights.  Similarly, the rights and obligations of both parents were enshrined in the country’s laws, including equal responsibilities in the case of divorce.

 

She said the work of the prosecutor’s office, trade unions and the Union of Turkmen Women, and independent public association served as a guarantee countering discrimination against women by State authorities.

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