UN Authority Figures

UN Commission on the Status of Women: Turkmenistan

Traditional social and religious norms, inadequate education, and poor economic conditions limit professional opportunities for women, and domestic violence is common. Photo: Women in Turkmenistan
Source: Freedom House, December 20, 2016

Mission of the Commission on the Status of Women: "The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women... The CSW is instrumental in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women." (Commission on the Status of Women website, "Overview")

Term of office: 2018-2022

Turkmenistan's Record on Women's rights:
"There was also discrimination and violence against women;... A cultural bias against reporting or acknowledging rape made it difficult to determine the extent of the problem... Anecdotal reports indicated domestic violence against women was common; most victims of domestic violence kept silent because they were unaware of their rights or afraid of increased violence from husbands and relatives... [W]omen continued to experience discrimination due to cultural biases,... The government did not acknowledge, address, or report on discrimination against women. There were no reports of discrimination in areas such as marriage, divorce..."
(U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2016, Turkmenistan)