Representatives from state institutions, municipal bodies and civil society organizations in the Ahal velayat (province) discussed practical experiences in preventing and responding to gender-based violence (GBV), including domestic violence (DV) at the local level during an OSCE-organized workshop that took place on 22 and 23 October 2026 in Ashgabat.
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the workshop to enhance capacities of different stakeholders in preventing and responding to gender-based violence, including domestic violence, and provide a platform for exchanging practical approaches and good practices, including lessons learned from the preceding study visit to the Republic of Tajikistan.
International experts presented facts and figures on gender-based violence, including domestic violence, in the world and Central Asian region, and elaborated on the existing mechanisms for GBV prevention and response in Turkmenistan and the Ahal velayat. Discussions focused on multi-agency response to gender-based violence, and national priorities for the prevention and response to GBV.
"Addressing gender-based violence requires a comprehensive, co-ordinated and survivor-centred approach, involving state institutions, law-enforcement bodies, social and healthcare services and civil society organizations," said Olivera Zurovac-Kuzman, Economic and Environmental Officer and Gender Focal Point at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
The workshop presented essential services to victims of DV/GBV, such as specialized police units, one-stop centers and short-term transit shelters, as well as specialized services, including helplines, women's resource centers and crisis centers. Behavior-change programs for perpetrators of domestic violence were also discussed.
During discussions, participants shared their views on possibilities of introducing GBV prevention strategies and tailored services to victims of DV/GBV in the Ahal velayat.
The workshop was organized as part of the OSCE extra-budgetary project on preventing and combating GBV funded by the Governments of Norway, Germany, the United States and Finland.
