rights of girls and women
CABAR.asia talked with the esteemed UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Ms Mary Lawlor, to explore potential avenues for safeguarding and upholding human rights in Central Asia. The rapporteur emphasized her people-centred approach, focusing on the most vulnerable defenders. The rapporteur encouraged anyone with reliable information about human rights defenders’ rights violations to contact her office. We discussed the importance of UN mechanisms in protecting human rights and holding governments accountable, despite the challenges of “democratic backsliding” in some countries of the Central Asian region.
The number of girls and women wearing hijabs on the streets of Uzbekistan’s cities and districts has noticeably increased. However, public schools in the country still forbid wearing them, allowing them to be replaced by skullcaps and light-colored scarves tied backwards. (more…)