10th January 2024

Information on Tajikistan for consideration by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women – 87th session, December 2023

We respectfully submit this report for consideration during the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (‘the Committee’) review of Tajikistan at its 87th Session (29 January – 16 February 2024). We are writing to express our concerns with regard to laws related to rape and other forms of sexual violence, procedures and practices which effectively deny access to justice for survivors of sexual violence in violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (‘the Convention’).

Key recommendations

The legal provisions and practices detailed in our submission highlight the failure of the State of Tajikistan to comply with its duties to provide equal protection under the law to survivors of sexual violence (Article 2(c) of the Convention) and the failure of law enforcement to protect women from sexual violence (Article 2(c) and (e)). We submit that the root cause of the failures of the State is its non-compliance with the obligation to end discrimination against women in law and practice and address stereotypical and gender-discriminatory attitudes towards women and girls, contrary to Articles 2(f) and 5(a) of the Convention and the obligation to combat violence against women and provide access to justice to survivors, as provided for in General Recommendations 19, 33 and 35 of the Committee.

In February 2024, the Committee published its recommendations, which were in line with a number of recommendations we made in our joint submission. Explore our full statement on the recommendations.

Explore more resources

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Ending discrimination in family law: Joint submission by Equality Now, the Hurra Coalition, GCEFL, and Asuda to CEDAW on Iraq

Joint Eastern and Southern Africa Civil Society Forum Declaration Communiqué to End Child Marriage

Equality Now, together with civil society organisations from across Eastern and Southern Africa, issued a joint declaration on International Human Rights Day, reaffirming child marriage as a human rights violation and calling for coordinated, rights-based action to translate laws and commitments into protection, justice, and dignity for girls across the region.

Statement by Equality Now during the 46th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Equality Now presented key findings and recommendations at the 46th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in Maseru, Lesotho.
The submission highlights key opportunities for strengthening legal protection, enhancing responses to digital and technology-facilitated sexual exploitation, advancing adolescents’ access to SRHR, reforming discriminatory nationality laws, and accelerating the elimination of harmful practices that continue to affect girls across Africa.

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