KHUJAND, November 11, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s only shelter for women, which provides refuge for victims of domestic violence, trafficking and other forms of abuse, is currently seeking new sources of financing.
Ms. Gulrukhsor Abdulloyeva, the deputy director of the Khujand-based Crisis Center “Gulrukhsor,” which operates the shelter, says the shelter will continue its work because women in Sughd province are continuing to be faced with problems, including domestic violence.
According to her, 22 people, including four social workers, now work for the shelter. “Women may stay in the shelter for 14 days, but in case of necessity the term may be extended,” said Abdulloyeva, “They may stay in the shelter with their children.”
The shelter has reportedly provided temporary housing to 410 women since it opened in April 2005.
Until recently, the shelter functioned under financial support of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan but they stopped financing the shelter, Abdulloyeva said. “The shelter will not stop its activity and we are currently seeking new sources of financing,” she added.
The shelter for women was opened by the OSCE field office in Khujand on July 1, 2005. The shelter is part of a three-year project financed by the U.S. State Department through the OSCE and implemented by the Crisis Center “Gulrukhsor.” Since 1996, “Gulrukhsor” has been offering women in Tajikistan”s northern region free medical consultations and social and psychological rehabilitation.
A new, larger comprehensive-care shelter for women and children victims of violence, refurbished with support from the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, was inaugurated in Khujand in February 2010. The refurbishment doubled the shelter”s housing capacity to 12 women and children. The shelter also features a classroom, a kitchen and a special room for medical examinations and consultations. The refurbishment of the shelter”s new premises was financed by Finland.
Aside from providing social and legal services and psychological assistance, the shelter also creates and supports economic empowerment, self-help groups and carries out awareness-raising campaigns.
Meanwhile, the Crisis Center “Gulrukhsor” conducted a roundtable entitled “The Role of Shelter in the Life Women — Victims of Domestic Violence” in Khujand on November 11. Organized under support of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, the meeting is part of the project, Strengthening the Capacity of Shelter for Women in Tajikistan.
The meeting brought together representatives of local law enforcement authorities, regional administration, OSCE field office in Khujand, and private business as well as public figures and clerics to discuss the domestic violence problems.
