Another Step In Legal Protection For Women And Children In Uzbekistan

A milestone was reached in Uzbekistan on April 6 when the country’s upper house of parliament passed a bill criminalizing domestic violence and strengthening laws that aim to curb abuse against women and children. It was a long process, involving many people to get this legislation so far. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss what the draft law contains and the work that went into guiding the bill all the way through parliament are three of the women who played leading roles in the process: Nozima Davletova, the chairperson of Uzbekistan’s Mass Media Foundation; Dilfuza Kurolova, a human rights lawyer and activist for gender equality; and Irina Matvienko, a feminist activist and founder of NeMolchi.uz, an organization dedicated to ending gender violence and promoting sexual equality.