Adoption and operationalisation of regulations• We continue supporting governmental structures in strengthening their PDV capacities, including coordination, prevention, case manage-

ment, referral and rehabilitation of DV victims and prosecution of aggressors. The project has paid a particular attention to development of normative and regulatory acts for various agencies, which are subjects to the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence. Further to that, the project supported operationalisation of the adopted regulations through a continuous capacity building of state workers to address the DV cases effectively. The PDV programs designed to train, sensitize, and interlink those working at the critical entry points to identify and treat DV victims increased the accountability across institutions.

Shifting from secondary to primary prevention of domestic violence• The project has strengthened primary prevention through supporting the Ministry of Education and Science in fostering its school-based

programs that educate children about DV and alternative conflict-resolution skills. The teachers have the methodological materials at their disposal, on how to handle the disclosures of DV against schoolchildren through multi-agency and child-centered approaches. This ap-proach is currently piloted in five schools in Tajikistan.

Adaptation to COVID-19 context• The evidence-based information collected by the project highlights how COVID-19 is exacerbating the root causes and risk factors (unem-

ployment, overcrowd households and increased control towards victims due pandemic) and their implications on DV. During the pandemic, DV victims faced some limitations in addressing the state-offered services in Tajikistan. The GOPA branch office in Tajikistan provided tech-nical and methodological support to both, non-governmental and governmental organizations in adapting their work regime and ensuring safety measures. Despite the pandemic, the project specialists did not cease the direct support services to DV victims. The counselling services were adapted and offered via phone and online means. The behavior correction service for aggressors also continued through mobile consultations.

Due to the economic collapse in the wake of the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the civil war in the 1990s and the renaissance of tradi-tional values, domestic violence (DV) has emerged as a widespread phenomenon in Tajikistan. Figures indicate that the majority of Tajik women experienced DV at some point in their lives. DV is largely accepted by the Tajik society, and there is an insufficient awareness among policy makers, community leaders and the general popula-tion that DV constitutes a human rights violation and needs to be addressed accordingly.

The project team built a broad coalition of partners and supporters with whom we work. The primary stakeholders are 10 government agencies, such as the Committee on Women and Family Affairs and the line Ministries. We signed‘ Memorandums of Understanding and work plans’ with all of them. We have been working on putting a comprehensive regulatory framework, a case management and a referral management systems in place, by training not only policy-makers, but also school teachers, psychologists, medical staff, civil registration officers, ombudsmen, police officers, local administrati-ons, religious and community leaders, journalists, etc. The end be-neficiaries are families affected by DV, both victims and aggressors, living in specific geographical areas targeted by the project.

FACTSHEETPrevention of Domestic Violence (PDV) in Tajikistan, phase XFinanced by Swiss Agency for Development and CooperationImplemented by GOPA mbH

The project is unique because of its new format, which has switched from supporting non-governmental organi-sations to strengthening the capacities of the government at all levels in im-plementing the Law and the National Program on Prevention of Domestic Violence Tajikistan. In the last phase X, we put an emphasis on primary pre-vention of domestic violence through working with schoolchildren and school psychologists, and providing pre-marriage counselling to young couples.

Elena Maximenco, PDV Project Director

PROJECT CONTEXT

STAKEHOLDERSOBJECTIVESince 2000, the Swiss Government has supported the Govern-ment of Tajikistan to address this issue. In current phase X of the project (2019-2021), the ultimate goal is to reduce the accep-tance and, consequently, the prevalence of domestic violence in the target regions of Tajikistan. In the short run, we aim• to strengthen the capacities of central and regional authori-

ties to respond effectively to domestic violence; and • to enlarge and diversify the services available to victims,

making them accessible and effective. To achieve this, GOPA Consultants as an implementing entity on behalf of SDC since 2008, established a Project Management Unit in the capital city of Dushanbe (GOPA branch office in Taji-kistan) and a satellite office in the southern Khatlon region.

STRATEGIC REVIEW AND OUTLOOK

• There is a vision shared by all the project partners: to stop DV, cultural and collective support for violence must be eroded and replaced by the norms of consent and gender equality. The young generation should be more targeted to foster respectful relationships, families, and communities.

• School education is paramount to counteract the ingrained ste-reotypes about DV and promote the value of economic oppor-tunities for women.

• The approved standards of quality as well as the monitoring tools applied in the PDV activities enhance the state priorities and systems, and foster the quality control of interventions.

• The work of the multi-disciplinary working groups (currently operating in 25 districts of the Khatlon region) has proven the local stakeholders’ willingness, leadership and accountability to implement the state policies on preventing and tackling DV.

• In line with the philosophy that while some men are part of the problem, all men are part of the solution, the project has gathered allies to develop the innovative for Tajikistan services targeting family perpetrators, such as the Room for Aggressors‘ behavior correction in Levakand city.

• In the context of COVID-19, service providers to DV victims were crucial in responding to the emerging challenges and as-suring that victims in crisis situations continued receiving es-sential support. With government‘s support, the NGOs acted as innovators in developing new operational regulations with a focus on safety measures and successfully managed potential organizational risks.

• A combination of various forms of counselling – in-person, phone, and online – allowed by the service providers to re-spond to various needs and personal situations of victims. For example, though online consultations were possible during the first months of the pandemic. However, the economic situation in families worsened later on so some victims could not afford the costs of Internet and mobile phone anymore.

• While crisis intervention and rehabilitation of DV survivors is crucial, it is important to support them in long term, ensuring the sustainability of the survivors’ rehabilitation and PDV awa-reness raising efforts.

FACTSHEETPrevention of Domestic Violence (PDV) in Tajikistan, phase XFinanced by Swiss Agency for Development and CooperationImplemented by GOPA mbH

RESULTSPLANNED

for 2019-2021

RESULTSIMPLEMENTED

until 09.2020

Start 01 October 2019

End 30 September 2020

SPECIALISTS TRAINED ON REFERRAL MECHANISMS,

STANDARDS AND M&E

COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS ORGANISED

PROTECTIVE ORDERS FORVICTIMS ISSUED

ARTICLES ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PUBLISHED IN

TAJIK NEWSPAPERS

1,000

12

600

48

500

2

210

12

3,571

29

1,570

72

1,751

1

258

32

NATIONAL & LOCAL LEVEL AUTHORITIES TRAINED

FAMILY AGGRESSORS ENROLLED IN BEHAVIOUR CHANGE PROGRAMMES

VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ASSISTED

RADIO PROGRAMMES ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BROADCASTED

LESSONS LEARNT / SUCCESS FACTORS