Population size:
33,580,650 (2019) [1]
Number of people experiencing domestic abuse each year:
No research.
Cost of domestic abuse to the economy each year:
No research.
Estimated % change due to COVID-19:
No full research except that according to the ministry of interior affairs, 527 protection orders were issued from January to April 2020'' [2]
Current law and policy:
There is no legislation on domestic abuse or gender equality.
In February 2019, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree to improve support for women and the institution of the family. The law was critical of the current state of women’s rights.
In April 2019, Uzbekistan’s Women’s Committee published a draft law designed to prevent sex discrimination. It defines relevant terms and describes mechanisms to protect the rights it establishes and penalties for violating these rights. The decree created a ‘Family’ research centre which aims to strengthen knowledge of issues faced by families and compile lists of low-income households.
In 2018, the Women’s Committee opened a hotline for women who had experienced abuse by which you can contact a doctor, psychologist or lawyer. The committee also opened the first shelters for women. [3]
In 2018, A World Bank report “Women, Business and the Law, 2018” , which analyses attitudes towards women across the world, classed Uzbekistan to have zero points on ‘ protection from domestic violence.”, as Uzbekistan is one of the few countries that lacks legislation on domestic abuse.
A turning point is the “Preventing Domestic Violence” draft legislation in 2018, defining legal definitions of psychological, economic, domestic and other types of violence. Since then, the Women’s Committee in Uzbekistan have published a new draft bill in 2019 against domestic violence, aiming to protect women from harassment or bullying at work and at home. [4]
The Women’s Committee in Uzbekistan previously have opened shelters for domestic abuse victims, a hotline connecting victims to doctors, psychologists or lawyers, and a research centre named “Olia” (“Family”), aimed at strengthening marriages, studying issues of reproductive health, investigating problems faced by modern families and at compiling lists of low income households. [5]
An initiative has been t