Uzbekistan implements program to ensure safe and respectful working environment

The National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with financial support from the World Bank, has begun implementing an initiative aimed at strengthening the response system to violence against women.

This project is being implemented as part of the 'Innovative Social Protection System for the Integration of Vulnerable Groups' (INSON) program. The main goal of this initiative is to improve the quality, accessibility, and coordination of services for women and girls who have experienced violence.

First Stage of the Program

The first stage of the project is a four-day Training of Trainers (ToT) held in Tashkent from September 15 to 18. Twenty specialists qualified in psychology, legal aid, and social work are participating in the training.

After completing this training, the specialists will conduct a series of cascade trainings in all 14 regions of the country. The program aims to transition from scattered professional actions to a coordinated interprofessional model where employees of various departments function as a single system.

Participants are mastering skills in risk assessment, safety planning, crisis communication, and interagency coordination using role-playing games and simulations of real situations. At the regional stage, UNFPA experts will provide support through mentorship and supervision, which will help solidify the acquired knowledge in practice.

The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, signed a new law aimed at further improving the social services system for individuals affected by violence and persecution.

This law, titled 'On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Connection with Further Improving the Social Services System for Persons Affected by Persecution and Violence,' was adopted by the Legislative Chamber on June 10, 2025, and approved by the Senate on July 9, 2026.

The introduction to the law states that in recent years, Uzbekistan has actively worked to strengthen the institutional and legal framework for reliably protecting the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of women from violence and persecution, as well as for creating a social services system for affected women and their minor children.

In particular, the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan was appointed as the authorized body responsible for working with women and children who have been subjected to violence and persecution. Legislative acts regulating the provision of social services to them were also adopted. This created the need to clarify the powers of this agency in the legislation, as well as the types of social assistance and services provided to affected women and their children.

According to the new law, women staying in territorial rehabilitation and adaptation centers under the National Agency for Social Protection are exempt from paying state fees when obtaining biometric passports (identity documents) to replace lost documents, as well as duplicates of marriage and birth certificates. Corresponding amendments have been made to the Civil Code and the Law on State Fees.

Furthermore, the 'Inson' social service centers have been granted the right to certify powers of attorney equivalent to notarized ones for women affected by violence and persecution who need to approach commercial banks to restore lost bank cards. This provision has been added to both the Civil Code and the Law on Notaries.

The law amends Article 28 of the Law on the Protection of Women from Violence and Persecution, allowing a victim of violence and persecution to stay in a special center for up to six months. The procedure for placing a victim in a special center and removing her from it will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan.

The document also changes the Law on Providing Legal Aid at State Expense, expanding the categories of citizens entitled to such assistance and the types of cases considered. In particular, victims of violence and persecution who appeal to investigative bodies, preliminary investigative bodies, or courts regarding violence or persecution stipulated by the Law on the Protection of Women from Violence and Persecution will be entitled to state-funded legal aid.

The law provides that state legal aid will be available to women affected by violence and persecution and their minor children in cases concerning alimony collection, additional expenses for child maintenance, recognition of loss of the right to use housing, eviction, establishment of paternity or parental rights deprivation, determination of the child's place of residence, establishing communication arrangements with the child, divorce, property division, recovery of property from illegal possession, compensation for property damage, reinstatement at work, and wage recovery.

The law also stipulates that when women entitled to state legal aid file a lawsuit in a case of violence or persecution, the court shall exempt them from relevant fees upon their request. A certificate or information confirming the court's consideration of the case may be issued before a decision is rendered.

The law enters into force upon its official publication.