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A regional round table on gender-based violence and law enforcement practices opened in Tashkent on 29 November 2022, drawing together officials from internal affairs agencies, prosecutor’s offices, and police training institutions across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting was convened to take stock of existing practices for preventing and responding to violence against women and girls across Central Asia, with corruption identified as one of the primary structural obstacles to effective action.
The event was co-organized by the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan, UNDP Uzbekistan, and the Regional Programme of the Spotlight Initiative for Central Asia and Afghanistan — a joint European Union and United Nations programme. It formed part of the annual global campaign known as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, held under the 2022 theme Together Ending Violence Against Women.
Agenda: Legislation, Police Training and Survivor Protocols
The round table agenda covered a range of technical and policy questions central to the region’s legal and institutional response to gender-based violence. Participants were scheduled to hear reports on how gender-based violence is defined in national legislation across the four participating countries, and to examine the degree to which gender sensitivity has been mainstreamed within justice systems — particularly in law enforcement agencies.
A specific focus was placed on the introduction of standardised procedures for police and prosecutors when dealing with survivors of violence. Discussions were also planned around the training of police officers to handle victim interactions appropriately, and on the collection and sharing of statistical data on violence against women across the region. The agenda explicitly included a session on the prospects for regional cooperation among law enforcement bodies to exchange experience and coordinate approaches.
Corruption as a Systemic Barrier
The framing of corruption as an obstacle to combating gender-based violence placed the round table within a broader accountability context. While the source material does not detail specific cases or mechanisms through which corrupt conduct has shielded perpetrators or discouraged victims from reporting, the identification of corruption as a named barrier — in an event co-hosted by the General Prosecutor’s Office — signals institutional recognition that the justice system’s response to violence against women is undermined not only by legal gaps but by conduct within law enforcement itself.
The participation of educational institutions attached to the ministries of internal affairs from all four countries suggests the round table was oriented in part toward reforming how police officers are trained, including on ethical conduct and victim-centred approaches — areas where institutional culture and accountability intersect directly with corruption risk.
Regional Scope and Institutional Participation
The inclusion of representatives from non-governmental organisations and the international community alongside state law enforcement officials reflected the multi-stakeholder character of the Spotlight Initiative, which operates across Central Asia and Afghanistan. UNDP Uzbekistan’s co-organisation of the event underscored the programme’s emphasis on working through domestic institutions — including the prosecutor’s office — rather than in parallel to them.
The round table did not produce publicly documented outcomes or signed agreements according to the available source material; the agenda and participant composition were the primary details disclosed. The event nonetheless represented a notable convening of senior law enforcement figures from across the region under the auspices of Uzbekistan’s General Prosecutor’s Office, focused explicitly on the intersection of institutional integrity and the protection of women from violence.