Human Rights in Central Asia - 30 years after independence

Regina

Uzbekistan

About

Centralasiengrupperna

KAZAKHSTAN

Central Asia Solidarity Groups (CAG) is a politically and religiously independent non-profit organization. Our mission is to promote a democratic Central Asia, with a strong, active and inclusive civil society ensuring that human rights are protected and social justice is achieved. We seek to accomplish these goals through long term solidarity work, trainings, exchange programs and advocacy efforts in the thematic areas of: 1. Democratic Youth Organizing

I was born in 1991 and I come from Uzbekistan.

I am currently unemployed.

I find it hard to recall any positive developments that have taken place in Uzbekistan. I have witnessed how women's rights, and human rights in general, have not been respected at all.

My hope for the future is to change my life for the better.

2. Gender Equality 3. Climate and environment 4. Conflict Transformation.

UZBEKISTAN KYRGYZSTAN TURKMENISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

years of independence of Central Asian Countries

How to get engaged?

Bank account: 9670 04 899 05 Swish: 1233698479 Registration number: 802467-0195 Phone: +46 73 646 7661 Email: info@centralasien.org Home page: www.centralasien.org Office in Sweden Centralasiengrupperna Djäknegatan 23 211 35 Malmö Office in Central Asia Abdykadyrova 3a 723500 Osh, Kyrgyzstan

@centralasiengrupperna

Five Central Asian states gained their independence from the Soviet Union 30 years ago. Each country has chosen unique paths of development and transition to a market economy. While some countries embraced advice from the international community to introduce and adhere to democratic principles of governance, others chose not to.

The region became of interest to China, Russia, the USA, as well as Iran, and Turkey, which placed Central Asia in the new "Great Game". Independence brought challenges in all spheres of the lives of ordinary people. Even though a tremendous amount of literature has been written about independent Central Asia, it does not always reflect the lived experience of ordinary people. This brochure is the collection of reflections from the people on how they experience independence, what challenges they face, and what hopes they have for the future.

Valeria

Uzbekistan

Farida

Uzbekistan I was born in Uzbekistan in 1959.

Throughout my life, I have worked as a high school French language teacher, university instructor of the Latin language, and became a faculty member at a Linguistic University.

I am from Uzbekistan and was born in 1997.

I am a puppeteer.

I would like to reflect on gender and equality. My country does not have the worst women’s rights record, but it is also far from the best. While the law does not oppress women, society and its traditions do. Women are expected to be married or widowed – anything else has a 70% chance of leading to discrimination.

Being on the street alone, driving alone, being a boss, being successful, or even just being beautiful can lead to harassment.

If a woman wears an outfit considered “too revealing” (even if it would be considered normal throughout the rest of the world), she will be the subject of judgement.

Even ordinary shorts can create controversy in our society.

However, our new president is trying very hard to improve the situation, and one of his daughters is actively advocating for the rights of women and children. There are changes being made, but as a whole, our society lags a little behind modern thinking compared to the rest of the world. In this regard, we are moving slower towards equality than in other countries.

I personally have hopes for a better future. I hope that my daughter, who is only 2 years old, will not be susceptible to the opinion that she must be a silent, obedient housewife and mother simply because she is a girl. I hope that my daughter will grow up educated and will not be discriminated against based on her gender, her choice of clothes and how she chooses to live. And I hope that by her 20th birthday, we will not be afraid to let her go outside for fear of harassment.

Under the Soviet Union, we didn’t really have the freedom to choose where we would work, and we didn’t have the freedom to choose where we would live. Earlier in my life, I wanted to work as a French language interpreter in Tashkent, where I could be employed by a number of institutions and organizations, but I needed to dedicate much of my energy toward working during my studies. One problem I had was with the state registration system, a Soviet policy that still exists in some countries today, that forces people to receive government permission whenever they want to move. I could not register, and was consequently living in Tashkent illegally. Being unable to register led to multiple problems with the police and the inability to receive medical services. I later had to leave both Tashkent and my profession and move back to my mother’s place in Nukus, where I didn’t have work, but I did have registration and a home. I eventually found a job that matched my professional qualifications as a linguist. I also want to mention that Uzbekistan practiced forced labor that conscripted school children, university students and members of other organizations to work on government agriculture operations for no pay. I personally picked cotton for three consecutive years beginning in the 8th grade, and for another five years during my university days. Living conditions on the state farms were horrible, especially for young girls and women. There was no water supply and sanitation. We didn’t have clean water to drink or shower with. We were forced to live in the fields from September until December, for the entirety of the cotton harvest. Only after the Soviet Union fell was I told the reason why the people in charge made us labor for such a long period of time. Our superiors were receiving money that was supposed to cover our food expenses, but they would steal this money instead. It was profitable for them to have us in the fields as long as possible. Obviously, those days were a loss for us – we didn’t earn anything and sometimes fell into debt after borrowing money for food.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, young people now have the opportunity to study abroad. Technological developments have also increased our access to information. People also have the chance to buy apartments instead of waiting for the state to provide so-called “free apartments”. We are no longer forced to collect cotton on a regular basis.

My hope for Uzbekistan is that it becomes a truly democratic country without corruption.

Aimeerim Kyrgyzstan

I was born in 1994, in Kyrgyzstan.

I recently got my degree and I currently work as a lawyer.

Kyrgyzstan used to be considered an “island of democracy" in Central Asia thanks to its activists, journalists, and generally active civil society. It allowed people to express themselves freely.

Of course, there were challenges as well. I believe that one of the biggest problems around the human rights situation in present-day Kyrgyzstan concerns the violation of employment and labor rights.

Due to the weak economy, a lot of people are underpaid and they don't really have any choice in the matter. The relevant state institutions do not usually address these problems, which has caused a really high level of emigration.

Even though I haven't lived during the USSR, I strongly believe that people back then didn't have any freedom to elect politicians or entrust people with power. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the core principles of a democratic state were introduced – such as the right to vote or to be able to run for election. In addition, we now have freedom of movement, freedom of religion, and the right to have peaceful assemblies.

I believe in the bright future of Kyrgyzstan, where all rights are respected.