OSCE Centre organizes seminar on domestic violence for law enforcement officials in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, 29 June 2012 – More than 25 representatives from Turkmenistan participated today in Ashgabat in an OSCE-organized seminar on good law-enforcement practices in preventing and addressing domestic violence.

Organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat in co-operation with the Interior Ministry  and the S.A. Niyazov Institute of the Interior Ministry, the one-day seminar aimed to facilitate the exchange of good practices and knowledge in preventing and prosecuting domestic violence in OSCE participating States.

“Domestic violence is an acute social problem affecting different countries across the OSCE region. To effectively address this issue, it is particularly important to raise awareness, develop the national legislative framework on domestic violence and train law-enforcement officials in preventing and combating this sensitive problem,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, the Acting Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

Experts from Austria, Spain, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan shared their countries’ experiences in addressing domestic violence, developing and implementing the relevant national legislative framework and applicable law-enforcement measures.

The participants discussed the importance of interaction between law-enforcement bodies and public associations in preventing and combating domestic violence. They also discussed curricula for teaching on these issues at police academies.

Since 2009, the OSCE Centre has supported a number of projects addressing domestic violence and remains committed to continuing this co-operation with Turkmenistan.