Dushanbe, 9 November 2018 – United Nations in Tajikistan has officially launched the human rights awareness month with “Your Rights Are Your Opportunities” campaign to mark the 70^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“This 30-day campaign aims to involve various stakeholders in Tajikistan, to explore and understand Human Rights dimensions and wide range of opportunities provided by the Human Rights Declaration and the state for all groups of population, especially women, youth, children, people with disabilities, minorities and excluded people,” UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Tajikistan Pratibha Mehta said.

The campaign, which will be rounded up with a round table on human rights on December 10^th, will include activities to address many aspects of human rights that are often overlooked due to stereotypes, stigma, or social habit. This includes a number of activities dedicated to 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, the “I belong” campaign to mark the rights of children to birth registration, contests on basic freedom, and other activities.

Aziza Hamidova, Country Programme Manager, UN Women in Tajikistan noted that often what hinders people from practicing their rights is the lack of knowledge about both, rights and existing mechanisms to protect them. It is, therefore, equally vital to raise public awareness about the existing legislative norms and promote intolerable attitudes towards violence in the society for further behavior change.  

UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan Luciano Calestini said that violence towards children can also come from within the family. While complementing the government on efforts to date, and significant progress made since independence, there is still much to be done.

“For a country where more than 40 per cent of the population is under 18, investing in Tajikistan's children is fundamental to a stable and prosperous future for the country. There have been great results over the past 25 years, with immunisation rates exceeding 95%, school enrolment at close to 100%, and child mortality reduced by over two-thirds. But with close to one million children still living in poverty in Tajikistan, the most left-behind children will need our collective efforts to double in the years ahead to ensure they reach their full potential” said Calestini.