Uzbekistan hosts a high-level Round Table strengthening national response to violence against women, with a special focus on digital safety, Tashkent, Uzbekistan — 10 December 2025.
The National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (NASP), the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with the support of the UK Government convened a high-level Round Table on strengthening the national response to cases of violence against women, including emerging forms of online and technology-facilitated abuse.
The Round Table marked the closing of the 2025 16 Days of Activism campaign in Uzbekistan on Human Rights Day (10 December) bringing together policymakers, service providers, civil society, media, and development partners and activists to exchange evidence, discuss solutions, and reinforce collective commitments to protect women and girls across Uzbekistan.
Throughout the campaign period, a wide range of awareness-raising, advocacy, and capacity-building activities were carried out across the country in close collaboration with government institutions and development partners.
This year’s UNiTE campaign theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls” underscores the growing risks of online harassment, cyberstalking, image-based abuse, doxing, and other forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). These forms of violence disproportionately affect young women, activists, journalists, and public figures, and pose new challenges for national protection systems worldwide.
Opening the event, high-level representatives from the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, NASP, UNFPA, and the British Embassy in Tashkent emphasized the Government of Uzbekistan’s continued commitment to strengthening survivor-centered services, enhancing legislative frameworks, and improving prevention efforts.
The Round Table highlighted key national achievements, including the strengthening of multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms and the expansion of inclusive services for survivors. Participants reviewed the findings of a recent Legal Review on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, conducted jointly by the Senate and UNFPA, which provides concrete recommendations to further strengthen regulation and accountability in the digital space.
Experts also presented new tools to enhance monitoring, evaluation, and risk assessment within the national referral system, supporting more effective and accessible services for women and girls who have experienced violence.
A key moment of the event was the official launch of UNFPA’s global “BodyRight” campaign in Uzbekistan — a movement that promotes digital consent, bodily autonomy, and the right of every woman and girl to live free from online abuse. Through social media outreach, youth engagement, and public awareness activities, the campaign aims to advance digital safety and empower women in online spaces.
The event reaffirmed the importance of strong cooperation among government bodies, social protection institutions, civil society, media, digital influencers, and international partners in preventing violence and supporting survivors.
This initiative has been funded by UK International Development from the UK Government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK Government’s official policies.
