Tajikistan Must Properly Prosecute Violence Against Women, Amnesty Urges

In a new report, the rights watchdog Amnesty International demands that authorities in Tajikistan properly prosecute violence against women as a criminal offense.

The report details the physical, psychological, and sexual abuse women face and urges the authorities not to dismiss it as a "private family matter."

“Women in Tajikistan are beaten, abused, and raped in the family, but the authorities tend to reflect the societal attitude of blaming the woman for domestic violence," says Amnesty's Andrea Strasser-Camagni.

"They see their primary role as mediator, to preserve the family rather than protect the woman and to safeguard their rights."

One-third to one-half of Tajik women have regularly been subjected to physical, psychological, or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or in-laws. Much of the abuse goes unreported.

Read the full Amnesty report here.