OREANDA-NEWS. April 14, 2009. The International Conference on International Standards and Gender Policy started to work in Ashgabat. The forum brought together the participants representing the governments of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, international experts and consultants. The Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan was the receiving party on behalf of the Government of Turkmenistan.

At the request of the editorial staff the TNIDHR prepared the material on the major achievement in drafting the laws to guarantee gender equality in the country.

The status of women in the Turkmen society is defined by the general strategy and priorities of the national policy pursued by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The aim of this strategy is to implement the principle of equal rights and freedoms, create the equal opportunities for men and women in compliance with the Constitution of Turkmenistan, international law norms.

The gender policy pursued in the country from the first days after gaining independence is aimed at designing the measures of institutional and legislative empowerment guaranteeing women’s involvement in all spheres of the social life, enabling to implement the constitutional principles of genre equality, creating the equal opportunities for men and women.

Standing steadfast to its international commitments Turkmenistan joined the fundamental international human rights acts the women’s rights declarations and conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Political Rights of Women, the Convention of the International Labour Organisation concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children and others.

Implementing the major principles of Turkmenistan’s human rights policy provides for comprehensive empowerment and progress of women and gives the state guarantees the exercise of the human rights and freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural and other spheres by women on an equal basis with those of men. Gender equality is guaranteed by the Constitution of Turkmenistan and the national legislation as a whole.

To implement the international law norms of gender equality the Law of Turkmenistan “On the State Guarantees of Equality to Women” aimed at implementing the major principles of the human rights policy of Turkmenistan, eliminating all forms of discrimination against women, guaranteeing comprehensive empowerment and progress of women was adopted in December 2007

Women make up 50.2% in the structure of the population of Turkmenistan. Women make up 17% of the members of the national Parliament. The Speaker, Chairpersons of two parliamentary committees, Vice Premier, ministers, diplomats, deputy heads of the regional, municipal and rural administrations editors-in-chief, heads of the higher educational institutions and research establishments, presiding members of the election committees on national and local levels are women.

Equality in the family is a major constitutional principle of the family legislation of Turkmenistan. In accordance with the Family and Marriage Code of Turkmenistan all citizens shall have the equal rights in the family. Any direct or indirect restriction of rights and establishment of the direct and indirect advantages while entering into marriage and in the family relations in regard to the origin, social status and property holdings, nationality, race, gender, education, language, religious preference, kind or nature of occupation, place of residence, etc. are inadmissible.

In accordance with the Constitution of Turkmenistan all citizens – men and women shall have the right to work, to choose at her or his own discretion a profession, type of occupation, and place of work, and to healthy and safe work conditions.

Article 35 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan guarantees the right to health protection, including use, free of charge, of the state network of health care institutions to all citizens.

The constitutional norm is that every citizen shall have the right to education. Everyone shall have the right to receive such education free of charge in governmental educational institutions. (Article 38 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan). The state shall ensure, commensurate with ability, access for all to professional education.

In compliance with the abovementioned law the fundamental principles of education in Turkmenistan include an access for every citizen to all forms and types of education in governmental educational institutions, equal rights of all citizens to full realization of their abilities and talents, free of charge education in governmental educational institutions, secular in nature education in governmental educational institutions.

The Decrees of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov “On Improvement of the Education System in Turkmenistan”, “On Improvement of the Work of Educational Establishments”, “On the Increase in Salaries of Educational Workers and Student Scholarships” substantially promote the full exercise of the constitutional right to education by all citizens including women.

Social protection of citizens is a priority trend in the national policy of Turkmenistan. Article 37 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan says “Citizens shall have the right to social services if they are elderly, sick, disabled, unable to work, have lost their provider, or are unemployed. Families with many children, children who have lost their parents, and veterans and other people whose health has suffered in defense of governmental or social interests shall be provided with additional assistance and privileges out of state and social funds.”

The Code of Turkmenistan On Social Welfare adopted by the Mejlis of Turkmenistan (March 17, 2007) to promote the constitutional provisions securing the right to social services lays the legal, economic and organizational foundations of social welfare in Turkmenistan and guarantees provision of pensions and welfare payment to citizens, who have the right to receive pensions and welfare payments. The particular articles of this Code regulate the issues of employment and vocational training of disabled persons. The Code guarantees the government support to low-income population, who receives neither pensions nor payments, with the income lower than the minimal consumer budget.

Legal protection including judicial protection against any forms of discrimination is guaranteed to all citizens of Turkmenistan regardless of gender. In the Turkmenistan the system of processing of complaints and petitions and judicial protection vested in the laws from any gender-based violations of human rights effectively functions in the country.

All citizens of Turkmenistan regardless of gender have the right to claim reparation of material and moral damages caused by illegal actions of governmental organs, other organizations and their officials, and private individuals in court.