Gender and Development

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Tajikistan

Women’s Crisis Centers — Women’s Psychological Rehabilitation Centre

"I am very glad that I have been directed to this crisis centre. The nine meetings have passed very fast. Certainly, not all my problems are solved, but I have at least seen them from another point of view. I now understand the direction in which I need to work. I really needed to learn methods for increasing my self-confidence. The level of relaxation I now feel is simply a miracle!" (participant in women's support group)

"Now I know that I am not alone, my friends and relatives are interested in my problems. I have learned to control my emotions, to notice the good times in my daily life." (participant in women's support group)

Background of the project

Civil war and political conflict have disastrous long-term economic and social costs. The women and children of Tajikistan know this better than most. With 80% of the population below the poverty line, Tajikistan is among the world's 20 poorest nations. Tajikistan's 5-year conflict (1992-1997) left a legacy of 50,000 deaths, 600,000 displaced persons, 60,000 refugees, 55,000 orphans and 20,000 widows in a population of 5.8 million. The post-conflict period has not brought the expected prosperity. Paradoxically, life expectancy decreased after the war finished.

Tragically, gender-based violence against women and girls during the conflict has left a legacy of psychologically damaged women and men. Violence against women is endemic in Tajikistan and continues as an effect of post-conflict trauma and in response to continuing economic and social frustration. According to the Ministry of Health, about 70% of women who suffer depression live in a condition of acute or chronic family stress. Unfortunately, there is no system of free access to psychologists and other mental health specialists in the country. After 5 years of civil conflict and over a decade of economic transition following independence, Tajikistan's social sector is limping badly. In many rural areas it has collapsed. The majority of women cannot afford private consultations and consequently lack specialists' care and support in this area.

In affiliation with the Association of Women Scientists of Tajikistan (AWST), the Women's Psychological Rehabilitation Centre has worked to support Tajikistan's victims of violence, the majority of whom are women and girls. With funding from the Asian Development Bank, the centre sought to broaden and extend the reach of its services including establishing a telephone hotline in three women's crisis centers.

Project Objectives and Scope

Under the direction of the Women's Psychological Rehabilitation Centre in Dushanbe, the project aimed to strengthen, broaden, and extend the reach of services provided to women and teenagers at the centre and the three branch crisis centers in Kofarnikhon, Kurgan-Tube, and Tursun-Zade. The principle objective of the project was to rehabilitate injured women and teenagers through crisis centers' telephone hotlines and individual face-to-face consultations.

The following components were funded under this project:

• counseling and other assistance to victims of violence through a telephone hotline, individual face-to-face consultations, and referrals and consultations with professionals such as lawyers, psychologists, and gynecologists
• referrals and resources at the centers for the treatment and rehabilitation of female and child victims of violence
• education programs to raise the self-confidence and self-esteem of girls
• counseling and reproductive health and family planning services for teenagers through hot line telephone services and educational programs
• public educational activities including seminars, meetings, and training workshops

Outcomes of the Project

As a result of these activities, the following range of support and services was provided.

The telephone hotline assisted 900 women over a 12-month period. Sixty percent of the calls were from working married women ages 20-45 with children. Female callers displayed a number of psychological problems resulting from physical and psychological abuse including post-traumatic stress, depression, phobia, lack of self-esteem, and withdrawal from social activities. An analysis of the calls revealed that 65% concerned psychological violence perpetrated by husbands, ex-husbands, or current partners; 48% related to domestic violence; 17% concerned physical violence against women; and 5% dealt with sexual violence. Over 30% of the women experienced a complex mix of such abuse. In order to staff the telephone hotline, 15 women received 2 days of intensive training at each of the three branch crisis centers. In addition, hotline staff and other volunteers at each branch participated in an art therapy seminar designed to teach staff how to use drawing as a way of debriefing and managing the stress of their work.

Difficult or more complex cases were referred for individual consultation to various specialists including psychologists, psychotherapists, gynecologists, and lawyers. Many of these cases involved women who had been exposed to long-term domestic violence. In addition, three support groups were established for female victims of violence. Each group worked together for 3 hours per week over a 3-month period. The majority of participants were victims of domestic violence with some the victims of sexual violence. Many women reported that due to their participation in these groups, they were able to recover their self-esteem and become socially active again.

Several educational programs were conducted during the project. Three seminars on the moral and sexual education of teenagers were conducted (one each in Kofarnikhon, Kurgan-Tube, and Tursun-Zade). Thirty young women and young men received training in the following areas: reproductive health, moral and legal education, cultural and ethical considerations, and the interrelationship between family and society. In addition, the crisis center devised three workshops entitled "You are not Alone," "A Life Free of Violence," and "Under the Protection of International Rights." These workshops were conducted in all three branches. A total of 90 participants attended in each branch including housewives, high school children, and social workers. All participants, including both young women and young men, found these workshops to be very informative.

"Women have rights and they can and must defend them!"

"I [now] understand that I have unfortunately been repeatedly exposed to violence in my life."

"I now understand that there is a lot of violence [in our society], and that I have the right to voice my objection both in my relations with my relatives and with men."

The project also resulted in four publications written by crisis centre staff. Two brochures were published: "Violence: Is it Possible to Avoid?" and "Methodological Recommendations on Work at the Crisis Centre. " In addition, two booklets were published: "Domestic Violence" and "Against Violence in the Family."

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