Local Justice and Victim Support for Battered Women in Tajikistan

• NCJ Number: 225514
• Journal: International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2008 Pages: 195-220
• Author(s): Robin N. Haarr Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 26 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: For other articles in this special issue, see NCJ-225511-13 and NCJ-225515-19.

Annotation

Based upon 4 years of action-oriented ethnographic field research on wife abuse in Tajikistan, this study identified the barriers faced by battered women in accessing justice and victim support services in this developing, postsocialist, sovereign Central Asian state.

Abstract

In Tajikistan, wife abuse has historically been referred to as a “quarrel” and “scandal,” which suggests that it is only a concern when it disturbs or offends the neighbors. It has only been in the past 10 years that the conceptual and linguistic frameworks for conceptualizing wife abuse have slowly begun to change in Tajikistan. This has been due largely to the influence of international organizations that have focused on and implemented activities designed to counter violence against women. This injection of a new terminology and perspective on wife abuse has been mainly experienced by trained professionals in urban areas, but has not yet impacted local images, narratives, or religious language of the general population. Consequently, most Tajiks still refer to wife abuse as a “quarrel” or “scandal.” This perpetuates the trivialization of domestic violence and reinforces the cultural belief that wife abuse is a private family matter. There is no public consensus that hitting, beating, or verbally humiliating one’s wife or daughter-in-law is a form of violence and a violation of women’s human rights. Since the 1990s, international organizations have attempted various ways to address wife abuse in Tajikistan. Yet, the Tajikistan Government has resisted such efforts, as it is reluctant to recognize wife abuse as a significant problem that requires criminal law that protects battered women and their children while punishing abusers. The author, who spent 17 months conducting field research in Tajikistan--often working as a consultant to international organizations on issues of violence against women and children--conducted observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. 3 tables, 28 notes, and 25 references