Living with Dignity: Preventing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Tajikistan Report

This formative research report, Living with Dignity, examines sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in four Tajikistan villages. Conducted by Subhiya Mastonshoeva, Umed Ibragimov, and Henri Myrttinen for the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls global programme, the study is deeply rooted in a feminist, community-led approach. Equality Institute was engaged by What Works to Prevent Violence to design and edit the report.

Through focus groups and interviews, the team uncovered how deeply embedded patriarchal norms and gendered expectations — supported by social hierarchies and family power dynamics — reinforce violence, particularly from husbands and mothers-in-law, and deter reporting.

Despite formal protections, survivors in these communities face stigma, restricted mobility, and limited service access. The research highlights significant triggers of violence — such as economic hardship, alcohol use, and migration — and identifies key entry points for prevention, including the role of informal gatekeepers, culturally safe dialogue spaces, and interventions that combine women’s social and economic empowerment with inclusive community engagement.