Violence and exploitation of children in Tajikistan

Abstract

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union Tajikistan has faced the immense challenge of building a democratic republic and transitioning from a state-controlled to a free market economy. This transition has been complicated by consequences of civil war that had significant financial and social costs including a sharp drop in government expenditures on health social welfare and educational services. The reduction in expenditures resulted in the closure of many health social welfare and educational services and programmes that were previously financed and supported by the government as well as deterioration of social infrastructures such as roads transportation hospitals schools and public welfare institutions. In Tajikistan the impact of civil war and economic and social restructuring has been immense including: an unemployment rate of over 30 per cent; low wages that do not even cover basic household necessities (the average monthly salary is less than US$7 per month); extremely high levels of inflation that have severely diminished or eliminated the savings of most families causing those at the lowest income levels to sink more deeply into debt; price instability that has created great economic pressures; and the migration of many men to Russia and other countries in search of work. As a result many individuals and families now suffer from a pervasive sense of financial insecurity economic pressure and poverty. (excerpt)