Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Welcomes Turkmenistan’s National Action Plan on Gender Equality, Asks about Measures to Prevent Domestic Violence and the Exploitation of Women Labourers
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the sixth periodic report of Turkmenistan, with Committee Experts praising the State’s National Action Plan on Gender Equality, and raising questions about measures to prevent domestic violence and the exploitation of women labourers, including in the annual cotton harvest.
Several Committee Experts congratulated the State party for developing a National Action Plan on Gender Equality. One Expert asked if there were targets for gender policies and a monitoring mechanism for the plan? How effective was the implementation of the plan in rural areas?
One Committee Expert asked about actions that would be taken to prevent domestic violence. Every eighth woman in a relationship had been subjected to violence. The United Nations Population Fund had developed a model law on domestic violence, but this had not been acted on by the Parliament. What actions had been taken to implement the roadmap for combatting gender-based violence? How did the State party plan to provide support to victims of domestic violence?
Elgun Safarov, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Turkmenistan, welcomed that Turkmenistan had implemented many projects for the prevention of trafficking in persons and established shelters for victims. Another Committee Expert, however, said human traffickers exploited Turkmen men and women abroad in textile and domestic work sectors. Many women were forced to work in the annual cotton harvest by the State. When would the State party eliminate this severe form of labour exploitation and provide remedies to victims? Would measures to address the cotton harvest be included in the National Action Plan to Prevent Trafficking?
Introducing the report, Mahri Bashimova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and head of the delegation, said the National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2021-2025 included measures promoting gender equality, gender-responsive health care, equal access to education, economic empowerment of women and girls, and countering gender-based violence. The delegation added that an inter-agency commission had been set up to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Action Plan on Gender Equality, including in rural areas.
On efforts to address domestic violence, the delegation said that the Turkmen Parliament was working to adopt the law on domestic violence developed by the United Nations Population Fund. Turkmenistan and non-governmental organizations provided support to victims of domestic violence. The State party had opened two hotlines for reporting domestic violence. It was also carrying out training for journalists to prevent stereotyping of women in the media, and for social workers to provide support to victims of violence.
On human trafficking, the delegation said the State party was actively working with the International Labour Organization in monitoring cotton harvests and discussing future actions to prevent exploitation. More than 140 staff of the Interior Ministry had participated in training seminars aimed at combatting trafficking. The Government worked to identify victims of trafficking and provide them with assistance. Many public bodies held information campaigns aiming to prevent trafficking. Free legal assistance and State support were provided to victims of trafficking.
In concluding remarks, Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia, Committee Vice-Chair, said that stereotypes of women existed around the world and the Committee would address these in its next general comment. The Committee commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged it to take further steps to implement its recommendations for the benefit of all women and girls in the country.
Ms. Bashimova, in her concluding remarks, said that Turkmenistan would continue to work on new legislation and take into consideration the recommendations made by the Committee. Turkmenistan had a young Parliament, which would continue to work on laws and policies to bring the State forward.
The delegation of Turkmenistan consisted of the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, and representatives of the State Statistics Committee; National Trade Unions of Turkmenistan; Women's Union of Turkmenistan; Committee for Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms of the Mejlis; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population; Institute of State, Law and Democracy; Ministry of Health and Medical Industry; Ministry of Internal Affairs; and the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s eighty-seventh session is being held from 29 January to 16 February. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 3 p.m. on Monday, 5 February to be briefed by national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations on the situation of women in Greece, Oman, Djibouti and the Central African Republic, whose reports will be reviewed next week.
Report
The Committee has before it the sixth periodic report of Turkmenistan (CEDAW/C/TKM/6).
Presentation of Report
MAHRI BASHIMOVA, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and head of the delegation,said that Turkmenistan promoted the equal participation of women in all spheres of socio-political, economic, social and cultural life, and was consistently implementing the Convention and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In 2023, Turkmenistan presented the second voluntary national review on the implementation of the global Agenda for Sustainable Development, which highlighted information on efforts to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Women were well represented in the Parliament of Turkmenistan. In the 2023 elections, 125 deputies of the Parliament were elected, 32 of whom were women. A woman had been elected Speaker of the Parliament for the third time in a row. Women were represented in all political parties registered in Turkmenistan and made up 28 per cent of local self-government bodies; 26.4 per cent of employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were women, of which 21.5 per cent were women diplomats. Women were also active in the business sphere; today 22.4 per cent of entrepreneurs were women, and women had strong representation in leadership positions in the private sector.
Turkmenistan was implementing the National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2021-2025. It included measures promoting gender equality, gender-responsive health care, equal access to education, economic empowerment of women and girls, and countering gender-based violence. In 2020, a sample survey "Health and Status of Women in the Family" was conducted, covering key topics related to violence against women. A roadmap for the implementation of the survey’s recommendations for 2022 to 2025 had been developed. Campaigns were conducted on a regular basis to raise public awareness of the Convention and the National Action Plan, and to tackle stereotypes of women.
The Government was taking steps to ensure the rights of refugees and stateless persons. Over the past four years, 1,860 residence permits had been issued, of which more than 80 per cent were issued to women, and 8,068 persons were granted citizenship, of which more than 55 per cent were women.
The Ombudsman carried out activities to ensure State protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, and gender equality. Representatives of the Women's Union of Turkmenistan, together with members of Parliament, regularly held events on gender issues. Gender issues had been included in the Academy of Civil Service training courses for middle managers. The Supreme Court had an Information Centre that conducted seminars for judges that addressed gender equality.
Turkmenistan was successfully implementing a programme for improving the activities of preschool institutions for 2020 to 2025, and projects aiming to improve the teaching of natural and exact sciences, digital systems and foreign languages. The vocational training of women was increasingly taking on a scientific and technical bias. The share of girls studying in higher vocational education institutions had increased significantly to 45.4 per cent in the 2023-2024 academic year, and to 65.7 per cent in secondary vocational education institutions. Thirty-three per cent of students studying in in foreign countries were girls.
The Government had made maternal and reproductive health a priority. In 2021, the National Strategy "Healthy Mother – Healthy Child – Healthy Future" was approved to protect maternal and child health in Turkmenistan for 2021 to 2025. The maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births had decreased from 3.0 in 2015 to 1.7 in 2022. To improve the health of expectant mothers, the country had introduced a tool to assess the quality of family planning services and identified risk groups. For the period from 2015 to 2022, there was a positive trend in the decline in the birth rate among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years, from 24.5 births per 1,000 adolescent girls in 2019 to 22.9 births in 2022.
The share of women in the workforce had increased from 45.8 per cent in 2019 to more than 48 per cent currently. The proportion of women in managerial positions was 22.4 per cent. The Labour Code guaranteed additional benefits to working women with young children and children with disabilities. Pensions and State benefits, including disability benefits, were increased annually by decrees of the President. Fifty-six per cent of recipients of disability benefits were women.
State legislation provided for equal access for all to health care, education, the improvement of technical knowledge, work and improved housing conditions. Turkmenistan, moving along the path of socio-economic reforms and democratic transformations, attached special importance to implementing the Convention and ensuring and protecting the rights of women and girls.
Questions by Committee Experts
ELGUN SAFAROV, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Turkmenistan, welcomed that Turkmenistan had implemented many projects for the prevention of trafficking in persons and established shelters for victims. The State party had ratified the Marrakesh Treaty and adopted a new law on social services to strengthen protections for vulnerable populations.
Turkmenistan continued to rank lowly in international rankings on gender equality. There were gaps in statistics regarding equality. The State had not adopted a law addressing gender-based violence. Reportedly, women were required to abide by formal dress codes and the media perpetuated gender stereotypes. Women drivers were refused jobs in the taxi industry and there were reportedly obstacles to women obtaining drivers’ licences. How was the State party addressing these issues?
Why had the Convention not been directly incorporated in legislation? What measures were in place to increase the visibility of the Convention? It was not translated into Turkmen language or published on official websites. What training had been provided to public officials on the Convention? What measures had the State party taken to ensure that women and girls had access to information on legal aid? When would the State party reform the justice and correctional systems to promote the rights of women?
There was a need for temporary special measures to address stereotypes against women. There was no quota system for women’s representation. Women were often appointed to deputy rather than leadership positions. Did the State party have plans to implement a quota system? Were there any examples of positive discrimination measures implemented by the State?
One Committee Expert commended the State party’s National Action Plan on Gender Equality. However, there was no department with a mandate to implement policies for women. Had the State party elaborated a national gender policy based on the national action plan? Were there targets for gender policies and a monitoring mechanism? What were the findings of the most recent review of the plan? How effective was the implementation of the plan in rural areas? How did it promote the rights of rural and disadvantaged women? Had adequate resources been devoted to implementing the plan?
The State party had not established a national action plan on women, peace and security. Was it considering this? How would the State party enhance the participation of women in the decision-making process for related policies?
Did the State’s Ombudsman receive complaints related to violations of women’s rights and provide rulings on them? What measures were in place to increase the capacity of the Ombudsman’s Office?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there was no discrimination in Turkmenistan’s legislation. The State party issued punishments for forced marriages and the abuse of minors, among various other violations of rights. Legislation addressing forced abortion had been introduced. Analyses of legislation had a gender-sensitive approach. Statistics on violence against women and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal on women’s rights were being collected by the State and published on State websites.
No women were forced to wear traditional dress in Turkmenistan; women chose to wear it. In all major cities, there were fully automated theoretical and practical driving tests. The police did not influence the results of testing and there was no discrimination against women. Over 9,000 licences had been granted in 2023.
The Convention had been translated into Turkmen and published on Government websites. A comparative law institute trained police officers on human rights issues. Policies had been devised to improve the competence of police officers.
Women’s penitentiaries were fully in line with international standards. Special facilities were set aside for pregnant women and women with children up to three years of age. Internal supervision was carried out by female guards.
The State party did not have quotas for women’s representation, but women were well represented in cultural, scientific, sporting and political organizations.
An inter-agency commission had been set up to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Action Plan on Gender Equality, including in rural areas. The commission had working groups on combatting trafficking and on monitoring domestic violence, which made recommendations for implementing gender policies.
The Ombudsman’s responsibilities included communicating with ministries on gender policies. The Ombudsman’s Office prepared annual reports on the work it conducted to protect the rights of women and girls.
The State party would consider the possibility of implementing the Security Council resolution on women, peace and security.
Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert welcomed the State party’s commitment to implementing international standards related to gender equality and congratulated the State party for developing a National Action Plan on Gender Equality. What actions would be taken to prevent domestic violence and other forms of violence against women and girls? Every eighth woman in a relationship had been subjected to violence. The United Nations Population Fund had developed a model law on domestic violence, but this had not been acted on by the Parliament. What actions had been taken to implement the roadmap for combatting gender-based violence? How did the State party provide support to victims of domestic violence? Women typically remained silent about domestic violence for fear of stigmatisation. Were there any programmes aiming to reduce the stigmatisation of women in the justice system? Were there plans to expand access to shelters and counselling for victims? Did the State party have a gender code of conduct for the media?
Another Committee Expert said human traffickers exploited Turkmen men and women abroad in textile and domestic work sectors. The Government had established a hotline for reporting trafficking cases, but no data on reports received and response measures implemented had been published. Many women were forced to work in the annual cotton harvest by the State. When would the State party eliminate this severe form of labour exploitation and provide remedies to victims? Would measures to address the cotton harvest be included in the National Action Plan to Prevent Trafficking? What Government services were available for victims of trafficking? There were reports of intimidation of women who reported being victims of forced labour. What measures were in place to encourage women to report trafficking? Would the State party repeal legislation criminalising women who were involved in prostitution?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that the Parliament was working to adopt the law on domestic violence developed by the United Nations Population Fund. Turkmenistan and non-governmental organizations provided support to victims of domestic violence. The State party had opened two hotlines for reporting domestic violence. It was also carrying out training for journalists to prevent stereotyping of women in the media, and for social workers to provide support to victims of violence.
The State party was actively working with the International Labour Organization in monitoring cotton harvests and discussing future actions to prevent exploitation. Combatting trafficking crimes was a focus of the Government. More than 140 staff of the Interior Ministry had participated in training seminars aimed at combatting trafficking. The Government worked to identify victims of trafficking and provide them with assistance. Many public bodies held information campaigns aiming to prevent trafficking. Free legal assistance and State support were provided to victims of trafficking. When public officials or employers engaged in trafficking, this was treated as an aggravating circumstance under State legislation.
Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert said gender stereotypes often restricted women’s ability to engage in political activities. Women candidates for the 2023 elections made up only around 16 per cent of candidates. There was only one woman in the Cabinet of Ministers. What measures were in place, including media campaigns, to promote women’s participation in public and political life? What leadership programmes were planned to increase women’s representation in the foreign service? How many of the State’s 41 ambassadors were women, and how many female judges and police officers were employed by the State?
Another Committee Expert said the State’s citizenship law was not in line with the 1954 statelessness convention. It was reportedly very difficult for refugees to qualify for Turkmen citizenship. Did the State party plan to waive application requirements for refugees? How was the State party preventing the refoulement of asylum seekers and providing them with support? Several reports indicated that there was stigmatisation that prevented marriage between Turkmen nationals and foreigners. Children born in Turkmenistan to parents without residency status were not always recognised. How would the State party address these issues?
One Committee Expert appreciated that the enrolment rate of girls in secondary education institutions had increased. What was the dropout rate of female secondary students? What was the proportion of women attending higher education and the proportion of women teachers in higher education? Had the State party taken measures to eliminate stereotypes in textbooks and to incorporate reproductive education into life skills courses at schools? What measures were in place to encourage women to study science and technology subjects? What impact had measures to improve the employment rate of female graduates had?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there were many inter-ethnic marriages in Turkmenistan. Citizens had equal rights to access State services and to run for elections. Women were well represented in police academies, which they could enrol in without hindrance. Currently, one of Turkmenistan’s 41 ambassadors was a woman. Since 2010, the State party had been working to increase the representation of women in the foreign service.
The State had only five registered refugees and did not have a centre for refugees as there was no demand for one.
Education in Turkmenistan was free of charge and accessible to all. The State party had moved to a 12-year education system that was based on gender equality. General schools taught health and gender issues. Schools took girls to visit scientific parks and chemistry facilities to familiarise them with such facilities. A gender analysis of teaching materials had been carried out. Seminars were held for teachers and parents on gender issues and the State party was developing manuals on gender-oriented teaching. Sixty-seven per cent of teachers in general schools were women. In higher education facilities in 2023, 44 per cent of students and 48 per cent of teachers were women. Access to education was a national priority. The State had a centre for young scientists that provided education to girls.
The Government had adopted a programme to adapt youth to the labour market. Women only represented 30 per cent of participants in the programme, as it targeted sectors that attracted more men than women. A greater number of women were entering the oil and gas industries.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert welcomed that the State party had taken steps to support female employment. However, a high number of women were unemployed or underemployed, influenced by deep-rooted stereotypes. How was the State party addressing these stereotypes? Were there awareness raising programmes addressing equal sharing of care responsibilities? When would the State party adopt paid paternity leave? Did the State party intend to adopt temporary special measures to create opportunities for women to enter the formal labour market and relieve women of the burden of unpaid care work? How did the State party intend to address gender gaps in employment and wages? Were there incentives for employers in male-dominated sectors to recruit women? Did the State party have plans to collect gender disaggregated data related to the workforce? Were there any avenues for women to file complaints of workplace sexual harassment, or plans to criminalise such harassment?
Another Committee Expert said it was good news that teenage pregnancies and the maternal mortality rate had decreased in recent years. Why had legislation been amended to make it more difficult to obtain abortions after five weeks of pregnancy? The State needed to provide age-appropriate sexual education and access to contraception across the country. Did the State party intend to extend the time limit for abortion requests and to fully decriminalise abortions? Was parental consent required for children under 18 to obtain abortions? How did the State party protect doctors performing abortions from harassment? Was information on sexual and reproductive health made available to the public? Did the Government intend to report data on HIV/AIDS, including to the United Nations? How was data on pregnancies being collected and analysed? Some reports suggested that the practice of virginity testing persisted. What measures were in place to completely abolish such tests?
One Committee Expert asked if there were measures in place to ensure the equal sharing of domestic responsibilities between women and men. How many child and elderly care facilities were available in rural areas? Most land plots were allocated to men. What measures were in place to increase the provision of land to women? Could data be provided on women’s access to bank loans?
ELGUN SAFAROV, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Turkmenistan, said that the number of women with disabilities had increased in 2022. What support measures were in place for women with disabilities? Could data be provided on women with disabilities who were victims of violence? What protection measures were in place for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women? Was there discrimination against Jewish women in the State?
One Committee Expert welcomed that the delegation was almost entirely made up of women. There was ambiguity in terms of “formal” and “informal” laws in Turkmenistan. There were reports of the detention of women human rights defenders based on informal laws. How did the State party monitor and punish the inappropriate application of informal laws?
There was an informal practice of men having second wives. How were the rights of second wives protected? How was the State party addressing sexual violence against second wives? Could women access justice if they were sexually abused by a partner? Did courts apply penalties to persons who violated child marriage laws, including State agents who facilitated such marriages? How was the State party promoting family values that recognised equality?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said women could choose any form of employment freely. There were no “male” or “female” professions. Legislation had been revised to remove restrictions on women working in dangerous professions, working during the night, and working when they had young children. Women could easily access childcare services. Birth and childcare benefits were provided to both employed and unemployed mothers. The wage gap between men and women was 12 per cent overall, but in education, health and social service work, women made up 70 per cent of the workforce, and were paid 6.8 per cent more than men. People who committed sexual harassment in the workplace were held criminally liable. Fathers had the right to take childcare leave. The State had work to do in addressing stereotypes of men and women in the workforce.
All women in Turkmenistan were able to access abortions up to five weeks of pregnancy. After five weeks, abortions were risky, so requests were assessed based on individual circumstances. Abortions were possible up to 22 weeks of pregnancy if malformation of the foetus was found. The State party would consider revising the process for assessing abortion requests. Virginity examinations were not forced on women. Girls under 16 years needed parental consent to access contraception. Medical screenings were provided free of charge to pregnant women. Hospitals had reproductive health centres that provided at-risk women and girls with free contraception and medication. Maternal mortality was decreasing thanks to the implementation of the national strategy on maternal health. There were six centres for the prevention of AIDS where people could be voluntarily tested. Awareness raising campaigns on HIV/AIDS targeting youth had been developed, and hotlines had been established that provided anonymous advice regarding HIV/AIDS.
In rural areas, care facilities for the elderly had been established, and social protection facilities provided support services to families, including childcare. The share of women amongst entrepreneurs had increased to around 35 per cent. Credit loans were provided on equal conditions regardless of the sex of the applicant. The volume of loans provided to female entrepreneurs had risen by a factor of four in recent years. The number of women farmers had increased by around 13 per cent in 2023. The State planned to carry out a study on unpaid work with the United Nations Population Fund.
Violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women was prohibited and punished.
Turkmenistan did not have a major problem with polygamy. Polygamy was illegal and men who attempted to marry more than one wife were criminalised. The State party was implementing measures to tackle stereotypes of women, including awareness raising campaigns targeting boys. An amendment to the Family Code had previously been made to ensure gender equality in divorce proceedings.
Under the Family Code, the age of marriage was 18. Children of 17 years of age could marry only when they had special permission from authorities. Only 0.04 per cent of marriages were with girls aged under 18. Authorities investigated child marriages and brought perpetrators to account. The State party was conducting awareness raising campaigns aiming to prevent early marriages across the country, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations. Traditions were not part of legislation in Turkmenistan.
Concluding Remarks
ESTHER EGHOBAMIEN-MSHELIA, Committee Vice-Chair, said that stereotypes of women existed around the world and the Committee would address these in its next general comment. She thanked the delegation for participating in the dialogue and engaging with the Committee. The Committee commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged it to take further steps to implement its recommendations for the benefit of all women and girls in the country.
MAHRI BASHIMOVA, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and head of the delegation, said that Turkmenistan would continue to work on new legislation and take into consideration the recommendations made by the Committee. Turkmenistan had a young Parliament, which would continue to work on laws and policies to bring the State forward. In closing, she thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue.
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