Like many women in Tajikistan, Shermatova Marjona has experienced gender-based violence.
Shermatova met her husband while she was doing a cleaning job abroad in Moscow, Russia. It wasn’t long before they got married, and he convinced her to send all the money she earned to her father-in-law in Tajikistan, who would use the money to build a house for them.
When construction began, Mrs. Shermatova and her husband returned to Tajikistan. She used her last savings to roof the house, install windows and doors, and repaint the rooms. The family lives together in the semi-finished house. In addition, she gave money to her father-in-law almost every day, whenever he asked.
The House of Discord
The situation changed as soon as Mrs. Shermatova ran out of money. Her husband stopped coming home and her father-in-law began to claim the house as his, intending to evict Ms. Shermatova and the children from the house. When she refused to leave, her father-in-law began to abuse her and often beat her in front of the children.
Shermatova and her children live in constant fear of abuse.
The family lives in fear all the time. Whenever their grandfather was near, the children shivered, thinking he might hurt their mother again.
Shermatova shared: “I know that my father-in-law also treated his first wife in the same way, causing her a severe mental breakdown. Now, he regularly beats his second wife.”
She has no money, no education and she cannot leave her young children and go out to work. She steals corn from a neighbor’s farm to feed her family because her husband has stopped supporting them. He also did nothing to protect his family from his father’s abuse.
Ms. Shermatova has repeatedly contacted local law enforcement about the abuse. Despite the evidence from six medical examinations, nothing changed. She doesn’t know how to continue the case.
Legal breakthrough
It wasn’t until she contacted the local organization Hayot dar Oila (Life in a Family). The organization provides social and legal support services to women and children experiencing violence. It is supported by Outstanding Initiativea United Nations global program supported by the European Union to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
Hayot dar Oila’s lawyers provided legal assistance to Ms. Shermatova and worked with her to draft an appeal to the authorities of Tajikistan, including the President.
Shermatova and her children received social and legal support from a local organization.
The appeal worked: The Interior Ministry detained Ms. Shermatova’s father-in-law, and he was tried and sentenced to six months in prison for sexual abuse. The court also opened a criminal case against her husband for child support evasion.
The foundation of a new life
Over the past two years, the Spotlight Initiative has provided psychological and legal support to vulnerable women like Shermatova and helped them become financially independent by providing capital to start small businesses. .
Ms. Shermatova bought an oven and a sewing machine so she could cook food to sell and earn income through her tailoring work. Many studies have found that financial independence is a key factor in reducing women’s vulnerability to violence and allowing them to break free from the cycle of violence.
“Today, we go to the city park and mom often buys snacks. She doesn’t cry or scream anymore,” said one of Shermatova’s three children.
Ms. Shermatova dreams of finishing building her house, continuing her small business and giving her children an education that she herself cannot afford.
She is no longer afraid of her father-in-law and continuously receives legal aid and social support through the Spotlight Initiative.
