Join us for the discussion of a new report Tajikistan: Barriers to Aid for Domestic Violence Victims Gaps in Government Response Put Women’s Lives at Risk

The 93-page report,  “‘ Violence with Every Step’: Weak State Response to Domestic Violence in Tajikistan, ”  documents obstacles to help and justice for domestic abuse survivors. Despite laws that guarantee survivors’ rights to protection and social services, Human Rights Watch found ongoing gaps in police and judicial responses to domestic violence, including refusing to investigate complaints, failing to issue or enforce protection orders, and treating domestic violence as a minor offense. Human Rights Watch also released  a video  with domestic violence survivors describing the hurdles they faced when trying to get protection.

About the Author

Steve Swerdlow, esq.  is a Senior Central Asia researcher in the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights Watch. An attorney with two decades of scholarly and human rights experience researching and advocating on the post-Soviet region, Swerdlow heads Human Rights Watch’s work on Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, was the founding director of HRW’s Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan field office, and has been among the first independent human rights workers to conduct extensive fieldwork on the ground in Uzbekistan since the Uzbek government’s decision to allow human rights organizations back into the country in 2017. Swerdlow was a fellow in the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders for Public Service program in Russia and worked earlier as a human rights monitor for the Union of Council for Soviet Jews (UCSJ) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Russia. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Swerdlow practiced law in San Francisco at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Judge Dean Pregerson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Swerdlow received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law and M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a certificate in Post-Soviet Studies from the Harriman Institute.

Discussant

Shahnoza Nozimova  is a PhD Candidate in Political Science at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. Her research explores state and society relations in Tajikistan, and in particular, the intersection between gender, Islam and nation-building. Shahnoza is a graduate of OSCE Academy in Bishkek and American University of Central Asia. Her works have been published in Central Asian Affairs, Asiatische Studien/Etudes Asiatiques, and Nationalities Papers. 

When: 5:30 - 7:00 PM, October 24 Where: Voesar Conference Room 412 Elliott School of International Affairs 1957 E St NW, Washington, DC 20052 RSVP This event is on the record and open to the media. The Central Asia Program Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University 1957 E Street, NW | Suite 412 | Washington, DC | 20052 (202) 994-9509 | infocap@gwu.edu | centralasiaprogram.org   Facebook  |  Twitter  |  YouTube  |  LinkedIn Join our mailing lists The Central Asia Program (CAP) promotes academic and policy research on contemporary Central Asia, and serves as an interface for the policy, academic, diplomatic, and business communities.