Tajikistan

One in two Tajik women are believed to have been victims of domestic violence. For the sake of family honor, Tajik women are expected to endure domestic violence. They have grown up seeing their mothers, grandmothers, neighbors, and friends take beatings. This normalization of violence makes it hard for them to see it as a crime. Many women commit suicide with their children due to the harsh treatment by their husbands and families. A report by Human Rights Watch said that Tajikistan’s Family Violence Law does not recognize domestic violence as a crime. This lack of recognition means many women suffer without legal protection.

Father GOD, keep the women in Tajikistan as the apple of Your eye. Let them be protected under the shadow of Your wings (The Holy Bible, Psalm 17:8-9).

Pray for the Tajik government to implement stringent laws to end domestic violence and to protect the women in the country (The Holy Bible, Leviticus 25:17).

Tajikistan is the poorest country in Central Asia. A slew of internal and external armed conflicts prevented any economic growth since the formation of the republic in 1991. While half of the 9 million people are under 25, Tajikistan hosts the largest Muslim population in Central Asia. A prominent saying in Tajikistan states that Only a Muslim is a True Tajik. Consequentially, Christian converts from Islam face the severest of persecution. Only state-authorized Russian Orthodox churches operate without persecution. Classified as “Extremist” in nature, all protestant churches face different levels of extreme persecution against them.