A session of the Commission on Gender Equality of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Photo from Uzdaily.uz
All draft laws and legislation in Uzbekistan are to be subjected to gender-based legal analysis, according to decree “On the procedure for conducting gender-based legal analysis of legal acts and bills” recently approved by the country’s government, the official Uzbek news agency UzA reports (in Russian).
All legal texts will be required to guarantee equal rights and opportunities for both men and women. The Commission on Gender Equality of the Republic of Uzbekistan has recommended the formation of special advisory councils on key issues of gender equality such as the protection of women’s employment rights, fair wages, education, and appointment to positions of management, based on an earlier law “On guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for men and women”.
The establishment of the advisory councils will help increase women’s participation in society and facilitate the provision of support to women and the resolution of gender issues, as a key UN sustainable development goal.
The Commission on Gender Equality was formed by a decree of the president of Uzbekistan on 7 March 2019 entitled “On measures to further strengthen guarantees of labour rights and support women’s entrepreneurial activity” («О мерах по дальнейшему усилению гарантий трудовых прав и поддержке предпринимательской деятельности женщин»). It is headed by the chairwoman of the Uzbek senate, Tanzila Narbayeva.
In 2019, the laws “On guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for men and women” («О гарантиях равных прав и возможностей для женщин и мужчин») and “On the defence of women from violence and harassment” («О защите женщин от притеснения и насилия») were passed and a review of legislation on the basis of these laws was undertaken. On 8 March 2020, a wave of appointments of women to positions of district hokims took place.
One fruit of the new commission’s work has been the creation of 197 shelters and rehabilitation centres for victims of domestic violence. Women subjected to violence or harassment have also been given the right to free legal assistance and will be exempted from paying government fees when taking cases to court.
