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The social and legal situation of women in
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
has been influenced by local traditions, religion, the earlier
Soviet regime
The political system of the Soviet Union took place in a federal single-party soviet socialist republic framework which was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the only party permitted by the Co ...
and changing social norms since independence.
Maternal healthcare and availability of contraceptives
The availability of
contraceptives and
maternal healthcare is mixed. 62.3% of women were using free contraceptives in 2003.
However, the
UN estimates that about 13.7% of women in Uzbekistan who would like to prevent, or delay, their next pregnancy are unable to do so because of limited access to contraceptives. In 2000, there were approximately 20,900
midwives
A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery.
The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...
in the country.
Forced sterilization
There are reports that
forced sterilization
Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced or coerced sterilization, is a government-mandated program to involuntarily sterilize a specific group of people. Sterilization removes a person's capacity to reproduce, and is usually done throug ...
of women is practiced in Uzbekistan. A
BBC World Service "Assignment" report on 12 April 2012 uncovered evidence that women are being sterilised, often without their knowledge, in an effort by the government to
control the population.
Suicide
Self-immolation
The term self-immolation broadly refers to acts of altruistic suicide, otherwise the giving up of one's body in an act of sacrifice. However, it most often refers specifically to autocremation, the act of sacrificing oneself by setting oneself ...
is a common form of suicide among women in Uzbekistan. In 2001 it was estimated that approximately 500 women a year kill themselves because of abusive situations.
Trafficking
The UN has recognized some efforts of the government to curtail
human trafficking. For example, telephone hotlines are available for trafficking victims, and trafficking carries a jail sentence of five to eight years.
However, trafficking still persists, as Uzbekistan is both a supplier and consumer of trafficked women.
”Trafficking occurs as an extension of the ‘shuttle’ trade. The women are sent as tourists with promises of employment as nannies, tutors or baby-sitters, but they often end up working in the
sex industry
The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...
.”
Women’s economic opportunities
"Gender roles in the economy changed during the Soviet period and continue to change in independence." While the Uzbek state has programs in place to help increase economic opportunities for women, there are persistent problems. For example, the labor market is
sex-segregated, and women are usually paid lower wages. "Unskilled personnel in the non-production sector are comprised virtually entirely of women.”
Women also cannot be used for night time or overtime work.
As of 2003 there was no known law against
sexual harassment.
Mothers with disabled children or many children can retire at 50, which is up to five years earlier than the stipulated retirement age (55).
Women’s legal rights and government representation
As of 2004 Uzbekistan’s election law requires political parties to nominate at least 30 percent female candidates for the parliament. However, the underrepresentation of women is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
at all levels of government.
Uzbekistan has
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stan ...
;
however, "according to data from surveys conducted by the Public Opinion Centre, 64% of urban and 50% of rural women consider that men have greater opportunities for implementing their rights in the political sphere".
Forced marriage and bride kidnapping
Forced marriage
Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...
through
bride kidnapping
Bride kidnapping, also known as marriage by abduction or marriage by capture, is a practice in which a man abducts the woman he wishes to marry.
Bride kidnapping (hence the portmanteau bridenapping) has been practiced around the world and ...
occurs in parts of the country, especially
Karakalpakstan
Karakalpakstan, / officially the Republic of Karakalpakstan, / is an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan. It occupies the whole northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital is Nukus (' / ). The Republic of Karakalpakstan has an area of , and ...
.
Bride kidnappings are believed to be tied to economic instability. Whereas weddings can be prohibitively expensive, kidnappings avoid both the cost of the ceremony and any bride price. Some scholars report that less desirable males with inferior educations or drug or alcohol problems are more likely to kidnap their brides.
[Jamila Sujud and Rashid Musayev]
"Bride Kidnapping Returns in Central Asia"
''Central Asia Online'', 18 January 2010
References
{{Uzbekistan topics
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...