Never did Otabek imagine that the day would come when he, no longer able to cope with conflicts in his family, would bring his young wife, his mother and his unmarried sisters to a counsellor for psychological support.

«There is a reason why we have set up our centre in this part of Tashkent," said Ms. DilovarKabulova, head of the Women’s Helpdesk project which receives support fr om the UNFPA and the non-governmental organization Civic Initiatives Support Centre. «We have mostly traditional Uzbek families living in this neighbourhood. For them it is often very difficult to break the circle of silence, reveal conflicts that often lead to violence and seek help. This is also the reason why at the beginning of the project we didn’t have many visitors, or we had visits like that of Otabek, when a male head of household comes first to the centre and only then brings his wife, sisters or daughters-in-law.»

Branches of the Women’s Helpdesk opened in Tashkent and in two other Uzbek cities in January 2010, established through a joint project conducted by the Civic Initiatives Support Centre and the European Union Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States Programme (TASIC). UNFPA has supported this initiative as of 2011 by facilitating the provision of equipment, meeting spaces and support for personnel, as well as organizing training and advocacy events for staff and clients.

The Helpdesk includes a telephone hotline and the counselling services of both a professional psychologist and a legal expert, designed to help women in need. The service has been particularly focused on vulnerable persons, including victims of violence and trafficking, and previously imprisoned women and their families.

Since its initiation in January last year, the helpdesk has offered counselling services to more than 1,200 women in Tashkent. More than 800 telephone calls have been received, while approximately 700 women and their family members have visited the Centre.

The Helpdesk has also employed a business-consultant who trains women in business skills and assists them with registering with job centres and obtaining microcredit. As a result, 40 women have received a loan to start a small business.

In addition to their regular services, the helpdesk staff has also organized mobile counselling services in rural areas to ensure that women understand their rights and know wh ere to seek support if needed. These sessions have been particularly useful as women in rural areas may have relatively lim ited access to information and counselling.

The provision of support to the Women’s Helpdesk has been part of UNFPA’s broad initiatives in ensuring that men and women have equal rights and opportunities that women and girls are empowered, and that gender-based violence and discrimination is addressed. In recent years, UNFPA has established several Centres for the social and legal support of women and their families throughout Uzbekistan. The regional Centres, in addition to the newly-established Helpdesk in Tashkent, have assisted women through psychological counselling, legal advice and job training.

«This work is so important, and there probably needs to be a lot more Centres like this in order to provide 24/7 support for women», said UNFPA Regional Director Theodora Fierens as she visited the Centre in April this year. «I value the Uzbek Government’s attention to these matters, and their commitment to the ideals of international agreements, such as CEDAW. In today’s world, it is absolutely clear that development is just impossible if women and men don’t enjoy equal rights and opportunities. For countries in transition, like Uzbekistan, gender equality is key for development.»

With the support of Helpdesk counsellors, Otabek and his family were able to overcome their domestic conflicts. He has advised many of his friends and relatives in his neighbourhood to visit the Centre and seek support, and gradually he has become one of the Centre’s most frequent visitors.