OSCE provides training on legal support to survivors of domestic violence

From 25 to 29 September, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a five-day training course for lawyers from the OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs) and local authorities.  The event was held in Dushanbe and brought together a total of 23 lawyers from the Sughd, Khatlon, Rasht Valley regions, and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. The course aimed to train participants on how to provide legal advice and legal assistance to victims of domestic violence and people at risk of experiencing domestic violence.

During the course, participants were familiarized with national and international legal acts in the field of combating domestic violence; grounds and methods of appealing to international courts; research and analysis of innovations of Tajikistan’s Civil Code, and study and analysis of innovations of Tajikistan’s Housing Code. Other topics covered were the study and analysis of the Istanbul Convention; identification (definition) of types of domestic violence based on real cases (analysis of complex cases) and methods of filing applications for claims for shared ownership. Participants engaged in hands-on exercises and group work, which helped them to discuss issues and find solutions.

“The most interesting part of the training, which I liked, was the analysis of the Civil and Housing Codes of the Republic of Tajikistan. In addition, there were practical works on complicated cases of citizens,” said Khursheda Mumin-zade, a lawyer from WRC “ASTI” in Khujand.

The training courses are being implemented within the OSCE’s Women’s Resource Centres project funded by the United States of America, Finland, Norway, Germany, and Andorra.  The training is part of the Office’s ongoing support to the Government of Tajikistan and civil society organizations in preventing and combatting domestic violence including by improving professional support services to survivors.