Legal challenges women face in other oblasts Gulnur, Jalal-Abad oblast Director of the International Fund for Tolerance says that the situation of girls in rural Jalalabad oblast differs that of girls in Jalal-Abad City.
Gulnur
“The girls themselves don’t know their own rights. Parents command, and they obey. There is an unwritten rule among girls, that the most prestigious achievement a girl can reach is to get married. If a girl goes to university, then there is less of a chance that she will be proposed to and get married. The girls even show off, feel elevated and proud that they are engaged. Perhaps there are no other examples to be seen. Parents also prefer to bet on the success and life of their sons. If a family is facing the choice of educating only one of their children, the preference will be given to educate the boy. There’s a popular opinion in society that if a girl studies in the city, she will get spoiled.”
Zhamal
Mutakalim, Bishkek
“Women and girls have rights prescribed to them by law. But, unfortunately, girls and women do not know that they have these rights. They do not know how to defend them, and they don’t want to defend them because they have no education. Habits, stereotypes, and misinterpretations of religion influence this perception. We are trying to train them to defend their rights and to voice their opinions, so that they become deputies in local councils and 68
THE GIRLS THEMSELVES DON’T KNOW THEIR OWN RIGHTS. PARENTS COMMAND, AND THEY OBEY.
the national parliament. We know we need to work on this. We show which professions are most profitable, so that they don’t study to be seamstresses, but are trained to become nanotechnologists, the electricians, and cellphone repair techs. Why not teach the girls physics? That pays well. We want to break stereotypes, so that women will learn such things and provide themselves financially. I traveled all over the country, and heard women say that there’s no point in talking about rights if they can’t even earn their own keep.”
