Strategy needed to halt violence against women, say participants at OSCE Dushanbe meeting

DUSHANBE, 21 October 2008 - OSCE participating States must design and implement efficient strategies to end violence against women, participants at a seminar in Dushanbe said today.

The three-day event that ends tomorrow was organized by the OSCE Secretariat's Gender Section, the OSCE Office in Tajikistan and Tajik authorities. It brought together some 100 experts and policy makers from 21 countries to discuss ways to prevent and prosecute cases of violence against women.

"The principle of gender equality and equal participation of all members of society is essential to the development of any democratic society," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The OSCE Office has created a network of 12 Crisis Centres that also operate in remote rural areas.

Community or domestic violence still affects women's lives in many regions of the world, including Central Asia, where young women are forced into early marriages or into polygamous unions, suffering severe forms of physical and psychological violence.

Rukiya Kurbonova, Tajikistan's Deputy Prime Minister, added: "The Government of Tajikistan with the support of the OSCE and other international agencies is undertaking steps to ensure gender equality and to fight human trafficking and violence against women."

Participants noted that a number of OSCE participating States have developed legislation, policies and programmes to end violence against women, however, good practices are rarely documented and many positive approaches remain largely unknown.

"This seminar will help reveal the practical approaches that have proved to be efficient in reducing violence against women. We look forward to supporting such innovative and committed actions to help guarantee gender equality and women's rights by the Organization's participating States," said Jamila Seftaoui, the OSCE's Senior Adviser on Gender Issues.