A new analysis by the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (THF) reveals a grim reality for women and girls in Turkmenistan. The report – based on an anonymous multi-month survey of 57 residents and 128 Turkmen migrants – paints a picture of entrenched discrimination, economic marginalisation, and pervasive violence, compounded by government denial and inaction.
Entrenched Inequality and Economic Marginalisation
Turkmenistan faces a deepening economic crisis, with poverty, unemployment, and rising prices hitting the women hardest. They remain underrepresented in leadership – holding only 24.8% of seats in the lower parliament, 27% in the upper chamber, and just one cabinet post. Women are concentrated in low-paid sectors like education, services, and agriculture, with a 23% gender pay gap in men’s favor.
In agriculture, over 90% of cotton pickers are women, a third of whom earn below the state rate. Most (78.4%) lack legal contracts and endure poor nutrition, while teachers, doctors, and other public employees are forced into cotton harvesting under threat of dismissal. Chronic unemployment has driven hundreds of thousands abroad, where women face illegal travel restrictions and passport denials, leaving many undocumented and vulnerable.
Widespread Gender-Based Violence
Officially, 12% of women aged 18-59 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner (government survey with UNFPA), but THF’s survey suggests the reality is far worse: one in four women has experienced harassment at home or in society. Violence is often normalized – 65% of victims justify abuse – due to entrenched traditions, lack of legal protection, and distrust in authorities.
The THF report concludes with practical recommendations to the government:
- Improve data collection and transparency on gender-based violence and socio-economic indicators.
- Adopt legislation criminalising all forms of violence against women and ensuring access to justice.
- Introduce quotas to increase women’s political representation.
- Strengthen consular support for migrant women abroad.
- Engage civil society and international partners in strategies to eliminate gender-based violence.
Until these measures are taken, the report warns, women in Turkmenistan will remain trapped in a cycle of abuse, discrimination, and state neglect – both at home and abroad.
