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With the support of the OSCE center in Ashgabat/ Turkmenistan, a domestic violence hotline has been launched. The new hotline will be run by the non-governmental organization Keik Okara and will be operational six days per week, 11 hours per day. The number will be publicized through information flyers. Pick up the phone and open your heart? Not easily done.

How much of an issue is domestic violence actually in Turkmenistan? Although no official data is available and this problem is not being discussed in society, there are some hints testifying that it exists in serious proportions. Actually, wild rumors make their rounds over a cup of tea about this and that happening behind the curtains in the neighbor’s home. We hear about a husband or a male relative beating a female family member or parent(s) beating their child. Or let’s take the story of a young drug addict using violence against his parents in a moment of desperation. But wait a minute, haven’t we typically heard people speaking about others’ committing domestic violence as if it can never happen in our own family?

Understandably people would like to keep their physical excesses for themselves. Turkmens consider the privacy of the family life as sacred and any interference from outside is not desired. Besides, every day life for ordinary people can be full of difficulties. When the fight for daily bread breaks every morning anew, nothing seems to me more important. A common greeting form among the Turkmens is: “How are things at home?” To the outsider that question would seem too intimate. But for Turkmens it is meant for respecting the family of the person and requires corresponding correctness. “All things fine”, the answer promptly goes without going into much detail. When everything is well at home it seems to make life easier.

Stop Violence Again Women website has the following entry:

“The Criminal Code (Turkmenistan) does not specifically address domestic violence. Furthermore, those women who sought divorce based on domestic violence in court proceedings are often unsuccessful, as the court recommends family reconciliation.”

Family connections and alliances can be important for securing a job, education and income. Ironically, the issue would be much more simple if it were just about beating or torture. It goes further touching upon the patriarchal thinking in place in some places when some men treat their wives and children as if they were their own property. Unfortunately, there are some, it seems, who would like to blame the victim rather than the perpetrator.

This is an issue in large parts of Central Asia and let’s not forget that domestic violence is an issue elsewhere ,too, especially in combination with alcohol abuse, drug addiction and crime, although there are differences in approach based on the culture, society, education, and the political and legal environment.

Would the hotline be appealing to Turkmen living under the secrecy of an authoritarian state that obstructs the freedoms and rights of a large proportion of its population? Let’s not forget that in the early years of the Soviet rule and before that it was considered a legitimate way for women to independently seek the advice of a kazy , a religious figure or a village elder to settle the dispute in the family. The trusted figure of authority would hear both sides speaking and advise them to the best of his wisdom about what they should do.

Civil society and democracy building goes hand in hand with voicing our concerns about issues affecting our society. There is need for public awareness that domestic violence is not a merely a matter of privacy but constitutes a serious human rights violation. The hotline is a further step on this path. If it is handled properly and confidentially, it is hoped that battered women will seek help. In the much proclaimed “Golden Age”, time has come to break the silence about the ugly face of domestic violence.

What do you know about domestic violence in Turkmenistan and what should be done? Tell us your opinion.