It took a years-long campaign, waged in a highly repressive environment by women’s rights activists, but finally, on April 6 the Uzbek Senate unanimously approved the crime of domestic violence through an amendment to the criminal code.
In addition to cases of physical violence, stalking, and harassment will be criminalized; sexual offenders will not be eligible for parole.
The Senate also approved a series of measures that will strengthen women’s protection mechanisms.
According to the latest available data, more than 12,000 cases of physical violence against women were reported from January to November 2021.