United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022, Online Edition. Estimates 2021.
Proportion of ever-partnered women aged 18-59 years experiencing intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.
Source: Institute of State, Law and Democracy of Turkmenistan, State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, and UNFPA, 2021. Health and Status of a Woman in the Family in Turkmenistan. Report on the results of the national sample survey. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Proportion of ever-partnered women aged 18-59 years experiencing intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence in the last 12 months.
Source: Institute of State, Law and Democracy of Turkmenistan, State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, and UNFPA, 2021. Health and Status of a Woman in the Family in Turkmenistan. Report on the results of the national sample survey. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
(1) Conclude, without delay, a survey on the prevalence of gender-based violence against women and ensure that it covers rural women, women with disabilities, older women, women belonging to minority groups and women in polygamous or de facto unions;
(2) Expedite, as a matter of priority, the adoption of a comprehensive law specifically defining and criminalizing all forms of gender-based violence against women, in particular domestic violence, marital rape and sexual assault within and outside marriage;
(3) Develop a comprehensive strategy to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence against women, on the basis of the results of the above-mentioned survey and with the participation of women, including a victim-centred approach that acknowledges women as rights holders, promotes their agency and autonomy and takes into account the particular situation of women affected by intersecting forms of discrimination;
(4) Conduct educational and awareness-raising campaigns targeting policymakers, religious and local leaders and men and boys and provide mandatory, recurrent and effective capacity-building, education and training for members of the judiciary, lawyers and law enforcement officers, to promote the understanding that the various forms of gender-based violence against women are unacceptable and harmful and that women are not responsible for the violence they suffer;
(5) Duly and systematically investigate all reports of gender-based violence against women, including cases of domestic violence not associated with alcohol or drug abuse, prosecute and adequately punish perpetrators and ensure that victims have access to effective reparations, including compensation;
(6) Strengthen support services for women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence and trafficking, by establishing helplines and well-resourced shelters that provide free medical care, psychosocial counselling and rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and by disseminating information on the services available to victims;
(7) Establish a system to regularly collect, analyse and publish statistical data on incidents of all forms of gender-based violence against women, disaggregated by sex, age, ethnicity, geographical location and the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, as well as on the number of complaints received, investigations carried out, prosecutions conducted and convictions won and on the sentences imposed on perpetrators.
(1) Prevent and eliminate the practice of child and/or forced marriage and related harmful practices, including the practice of dowry payments, by raising awareness about their negative impact on women's and girls' rights, carrying out prompt and effective investigations of all reported cases, prosecuting and punishing those responsible and providing victims with appropriate remedies and rehabilitation services;
(2) Ensure women's free choice of attire and of whether or not to use cosmetics, including by taking effective measures to protect them from violence, intimidation or coercion by employers and police officers;
(3) Abolish so-called “virginity testing” and the public shaming of the families of those concerned;
(4) Ensure women's right to travel both within and outside the State party, and their protection from harassment and intimidation when travelling;
(5) Ensure the right to drive for women and men on an equal basis, including by punishing those who harass women drivers or deny them the renewal of their driver's licences.
(1) Undertake a study on the prevalence of polygamy in the State party, with a view to addressing its root causes and implementing measures to enforce its prohibition, and provide legal protection and support to women already in polygamous marriages and women who have been abandoned by their husbands to avoid prosecution for polygamy;
(2) Ensure the protection of the economic rights of women in polygamous or de facto unions and recognize their rights to land and property accumulated during such unions, including through a revision of the Family Code to extend existing legal provisions to all women in de facto unions;
(3) Ensure the right of all women to freely choose their spouse, including a spouse of foreign nationality, by removing all administrative barriers to registering their marriage and ensuring their protection from discrimination and intimidation;
(4) Conduct awareness-raising campaigns on the rights of women with regard to family relations and marriage and on the importance of eliminating stigma associated with the dissolution of marriage.
(1) Undertake a study on the extent and causes of trafficking and exploitation of prostitution in the State party, with a view to addressing their root causes and eliminating the vulnerability of women and girls;
(2) Conduct mandatory capacity-building for judges, lawyers, labour inspectors, border police and other law enforcement officials on the gender-sensitive application of relevant legislation and on the investigation of cases of trafficking and related offences against women and girls;
(3) Investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking in persons, especially women and girls, and ensure that the sentences imposed on perpetrators are commensurate with the gravity of the crime;
(4) Allocate adequate resources for the effective and sustainable implementation of the existing protection system for victims of trafficking, ensure that they have adequate access to health care and counselling and strengthen such services by providing enhanced human, technical and financial resources to social-work centres;
(5) Repeal the practice of unpaid work during the cotton harvest season;
(6) Pursue international, regional and bilateral cooperation efforts with countries of origin, transit and destination, including through the exchange of information and the harmonization of procedures, to prevent trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice.
<u><a target="_blank" href="https://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2F…, CEDAW Committee, Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of Turkmenistan, 25 July 2018, CEDAW/C/TKM/CO/5.</a></u>
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