VZCZCXRO6627
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1387/01 3541208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201208Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9924
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3141
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RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0830
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 1404
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RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2025
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0660
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001387 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, G/TIP, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KCRM KWMN TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S GOVERNMENT PUBLISHES NEW LAWS ON 
WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet 
 
¶2.  (U) Turkmenistan's official Russian-language government 
newspaper, "Neutralnyy Turkmenistan," published two new laws 
on December 19 and 20: the 26-article "Law of Turkmenistan on 
State Guarantees of Equal Rights of Women" and the 20-article 
"Law on the Battle against Trafficking in Persons."  Both 
laws are totally new, rather than amended versions of 
previously existing legislation.  They have both been on the 
drafting list for the Third Session of the Mejlis 
(Parliament) since 2005, with the Committee on Economic and 
Social Policy tasked to develop the law on women's rights, 
and the Committee for International and Interparliamentary 
Contacts responsible for the trafficking law.  These are the 
first new laws that have been published since the 
Presidential Law was passed in early July. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) At first glance, the Law on Women's Rights appears 
to have been an original government draft, rather than a 
version developed in coordination with an international 
organization partner.  Post knows that Turkmenistan had been 
working with the UNDP on this law, but, according to the 
legal advisor at the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, the law that 
was published does not reflect any portion of the 40-article 
draft that the UNDP put forward in June 2007.  The law bans 
discrimination against women and does not permit violent or 
illegal interference in the personal life of a women or 
infringement on her honor, worthiness and reputation.  The 
law enumerates a variety of rights in the area of family, 
work, education, health, and civil sphere.  For example, it 
states, equal to men, women have a right to determine their 
attitude toward religion, believe any religion or none at 
all, and freely express their own opinions and views.  Wives 
are equal in family relations.  Women, on a volunteer basis, 
have the right to fulfill their constitutional responsibility 
to defend the Fatherland by entering the armed forces.  The 
state guarantees healthy and safe working conditions, 
including for pregnant women and mothers.  The state creates 
for women conditions equal to men for access to the 
management ranks of businesses and for opportunities to work 
in government.  The law also says the principle of equality 
in work activity extend to housework, which should not serve 
as a means of discrimination against women and can be 
conducted equally by men and women. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Post also knows that the individual from the Mejlis 
responsible for the trafficking-in-persons (TIP) law 
participated in an INL-funded DOJ/OPDAT study tour to the 
United States in November 2006, and that DOJ gave him 
materials on U.S. trafficking legislation at his request 
during the visit.  The law defines various terms related to 
TIP, including trafficking in persons, trafficker, victim, 
recruitment, and slavery.  It outlines the various methods 
and forms of exploitation of victims of trafficking.  The law 
names the General Procurator, Ministry of Internal Affairs, 
Ministry of National Security, State Border Service, State 
Service for Registration of Foreign Citizens, and the MFA as 
among the state entities involved in the fight against TIP. 
The measures to be adopted to fight TIP are monitoring the 
problem; developing and implementing programs aimed at 
prevention; cooperating with civic organizations working in 
this sphere; educational programs; and increasing information 
about situations in which one could potentially fall victim, 
government measures to prevent it, and criminal and 
administrative penalties.  The law promises aid to victims 
such as medical, psychological, professional rehabilitation, 
and assistance in finding work.  It also says Turkmenistan 
will cooperate with foreign states and their law-enforcement 
and other agencies in the fight against TIP. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Post will follow up with analysis septel 
after talking to locally based experts.  Much of what is 
 
ASHGABAT 00001387  002 OF 002 
 
 
contained in these laws is very positive.  However, other 
countries, which have been dealing with the issue of women 
rights for a much longer time, still are trying to put good 
words into practice.  The commitment to work with 
international partners on TIP gives an opening for new U.S. 
programs in this area.  END COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND