22nd June 2020
Despite recent developments to put in place a framework for the protection of women’s rights and combating gender-based violence, Uzbekistan’s legal system continues to provide a number of opportunities for perpetrators to escape criminal liability or punishment, namely through the way sexual violence crimes are defined; allowing for the direct release of a perpetrator from liability or punishment in certain circumstances; and through the way sexual violence crimes are investigated and prosecuted, including with respect to adolescent girls.