Clampdown on Sex Industry in Tajikistan
| Publisher | Institute for War and Peace Reporting |
| Author | Mehrangez Tursunzoda |
| Publication Date | 17 November 2015 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RCA Issue 776 |
| Cite as | Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Clampdown on Sex Industry in Tajikistan, 17 November 2015, RCA Issue 776, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/564c354f4.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Fewer jobs and a worsening exchange rate hits households supported by expats in Russia.
A new law setting out tougher penalties for sex workers in Tajikistan is unlikely to curb the industry, as its roots lie in endemic poverty and unemployment.
The Central Asian country's parliament has passed legal amendments doubling the fine for soliciting to the equivalent of 240 US dollars, or a 15 days' house arrest. Most significantly, every charge will be taken to court.
These penalties seem unlikely to curb the number of sex workers, or deter others from becoming involved. Sex workers in the capital Dushanbe say they only earn about five dollars a day, but they cannot find other ways of earning this small income and are often trapped by their circumstances.
"My father died, and my mother went off to work in Russia. I divorced my husband, and my brother made me leave the house," said Sitora, 28. "I've been doing this since 2005. Some men treat us badly - they pay 40 or 50 somoni, take us outside the city, beat us up and take the money back."
Investigative reporter Muhayo Nozimova believes that instead of punitive measures, job creation and better education provision are the only ways of breaking the cycle of female poverty and exploitation.
Mehrangez Tursunzoda is an IWPR-trained radio journalist in Tajikistan.
