1. Introduction: Overview of the Gender Situation in Turkmenistan

Despite the formal ratification of international conventions and the adoption of a National Action Plan for Gender Equality (2021–2025), Turkmenistan continues to demonstrate systemic neglect and regression in gender equality. Gender-based discrimination, restrictions on women’s freedom of movement, appearance censorship, and growing economic vulnerability are compounded by a lack of transparency, accountability, and political will to advance women’s rights.

Findings from the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation (THF) and interviews with over 180 respondents both inside and outside the country reveal that:

• Reports of domestic violence are extremely rare and culturally normalized.
• Legal protection is absent, particularly regarding labor rights, physical autonomy, and reproductive health.
• Government statistics do not reflect reality; many abuses are silenced or outright denied.
• Women face a 23% gender pay gap, are underrepresented in government (only around 25% of MPs), and suffer from harassment, coercion, and forced traditional conformity in public life.

Special Focus: Women’s Labor in Agriculture

According to ILO monitoring (March 2025), over 90% of cotton pickers are women. One-third receive wages below the government-set minimum. Since 78.4% lack legally binding contracts, this severely affects their already harsh working conditions. About 40% of pickers reported poor nutrition.

Another alarming sign is that women are subjected to forced labor, especially in the public sector: teachers, caregivers, doctors, nurses, and technical staff are annually mobilized for cotton picking, detracting from their primary duties. Refusal can lead to serious consequences, including dismissal.

2024 Labor Rights in the Cotton Harvest Season in Turkmenistan

The lack of gender-sensitive policy, especially in regard to ecological and climate challenges, adds another critical layer of risk and inequality.

Barriers to Education and Mobility

Young women face systematic restrictions in:

• Traveling abroad for education
• Accessing higher education due to corruption and cultural norms
• Some are prohibited from traveling without male family members

Key Data from the ILO:

Issue	Data
Gender Pay Gap	~23% in favor of men
Women in the Cotton Sector	90% of workers; 33% earn low wages; 78% lack contracts
Domestic Violence	Gov: 12%; THF: ~25% (from surveyed NGOs)
Migration	Hundreds of thousands of women migrate; many denied passports or re-entry rights
Education/Travel Bans	Dozens of female students banned from leaving; some released only under foreign pressure
Polygamy/Forced Marriage	Increasing cases linked to male migration and widening inequality; some girls commit self-immolation
Abortion	Legal only within 5 weeks – this rollback has been globally criticized

2. Climate and Environmental Situation in Turkmenistan, Its Impacts, and the Rights of Girls and Women

Turkmenistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in Central Asia, facing extreme heat waves, droughts, water shortages, and desertification. Yet gender considerations are nearly absent in climate policy, despite the clear link between environmental degradation and the worsening condition of women and girls.

Key Impacts:

• Water Crisis: The Amu Darya remains the main water source, but due to soil salinization and outdated irrigation (lacking water-saving technology), water is increasingly scarce. Cotton farming worsens the situation. In cities like Ashgabat, tap water is dirty or unavailable during summer, leading to disease spikes (hepatitis, kidney stones). By 2050, river flow may decline by 30% during growing seasons.
• Soil Salinity & Land Degradation: Fields are flushed annually due to salinity and poor agronomy. Wastewater with chemicals is dumped back into canals and rivers, causing environmental disaster, particularly in the Tashoguz region.
• Dust Storms: Now frequent and normalized, signaling desertification.
• Corruption & Poor Governance: Despite available resources, the state fails to invest in ecological infrastructure due to corruption.
• Drought & Access to Utilities: Women in rural areas like Mary Province report severe shortages of electricity and gas, facing disproportionate burdens.
• Malnutrition: Over 50% of surveyed women and girls have low hemoglobin levels, harming reproductive health and development.
• Labor Exploitation: Over 90% of cotton pickers are women, often without contracts and subject to low wages and forced labor.

Gender-specific climate adaptation is virtually nonexistent. While events such as the 2023 seminar on gender and water resource management in Ashgabat raised awareness, implementation has been minimal. Gender issues and sex-disaggregated data on the impacts of climate change are absent from national policies on the environment, climate change, and disaster risk reduction — even in disaster-prone countries.

Governments of Central Asian countries are discussing the integration of gender equality into climate change policy | United Nations in Turkmenistan

 

UN Seminar: Gender and Water Resources in Climate Adaptation – Ashgabat, Dec 7, 2023

On December 7, 2023, a seminar titled "Gender and Water Resources in the Process of Climate Change Adaptation" was held at the UN Office in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The seminar focused on gender aspects of water resource management in the context of climate change. Water resources are one of the key drivers of economic development in Central Asia, and the seminar aimed to increase awareness and promote gender mainstreaming in adaptation planning, achieve deeper understanding of gender issues in water governance, and lay the foundation for further cooperation in successful, gender-responsive water resource management.
 https://www.gwp.org/en/CACENA/News/turkmenistan-is-taking-steps-to-improve-gender-aspects-of-water-resources-management/

Regional Climate Vulnerability Report – IMF

Turkmenistan is significantly vulnerable to climate change. According to the latest data, the IMF report on the Middle East and Central Asia Region (ME&CA) places it on the frontline of experiencing the humanitarian, economic, and physical consequences of climate change.
 https://progres.online/society/environment/impact-of-climate-change-on-agriculture-in-turkmenistan/

Hydromet Center Data – Uzbekistan

According to Uzbekistan’s Hydrometeorology Center, the flow of the Amu Darya River — Turkmenistan’s primary source of surface water — is projected to decline by 10–15% by 2050. The flow of smaller rivers (Murgab, Tejen, and Etrek) is expected to decrease by 5–8% by 2030. In short, the most pressing issue is that local river flow during the vegetation period may decline by up to 30%.

According to findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the expected climate shift will intensify daily and monthly fluctuations in air temperature, pressure, and humidity, and increase the frequency and intensity of regional and local extreme weather events — including droughts, flash floods, mudslides, and sandstorms.

In Turkmenistan, climate change is expected to result in:

• A 10% annual increase in flash floods and mudflows
• A 5% annual increase in torrential rains
• A 1.6% annual increase in periods of extreme heat
   https://policy.asiapacificenergy.org/sites/default/files/National%20Climate%20Change%20Strategy%20of%20Turkmenistan%20%28EN%29.pdf

3. Water Resources and Border Disputes: Taliban’s Qosh Tepa Canal and Regional Instability

Water scarcity is a transboundary issue in Central Asia. The Taliban’s Qosh Tepa canal in northern Afghanistan threatens Turkmenistan’s access to the Amu Darya, its main surface water source.

• Water Security: Critical for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan faces acute shortages; per capita water use halved between 2008–2022. Turkmenistan is ranked "extremely water-stressed" and heavily depends on transboundary rivers.
• Amu Darya’s Vital Role: Before the Taliban’s return, projects like Qosh Tepa were delayed due to Taliban attacks.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/water-tensions-under-taliban

Risks:

• Geopolitical Tensions: Afghanistan’s unilateral diversion could worsen Turkmenistan’s water and food security. Similar disputes as those between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan may emerge.
• Women Bear the Burden: Reduced water access harms agriculture, sanitation, and household duties — heavily affecting women and girls.
• Diplomatic Inaction: Turkmenistan’s neutrality policy leads to passive regional engagement. Only recently has the government shown interest in transboundary water coordination.

Recommendation: Establish a trilateral negotiation platform (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan) to coordinate water use and prevent crises.

4. Intersection of Ethnic, Religious, and Gender Identity with Climate and Authoritarian Pressure; Taliban’s Influence on Gender Norms and Local Policy

Although not fully studied, experts emphasize the need for extensive systematic research on these links:

• Ethnic Minorities: (Especially Russians) face repression; e.g., punishment for speaking Russian.
• Religious Identity: Youth returning from Islamic countries after theological studies often face arrest.
• Gender Aspects: Women suffer from worsening ecology, movement restrictions, and traditional/state-imposed norms.

Recommendation: Incorporate analysis of these intersections as preventive strategy in future risk mitigation.

Turkmenistan’s policies reflect a broader conservative gender shift rooted in post-Soviet Islamic traditionalism.

Parallels with Taliban Norms:

• Traditional dress codes and bans on cosmetic procedures
• Virginity tests in schools, labeled as "moral hygiene"
• Gender-segregated moral lectures targeting only girls
• Restricted mobility for students and wives of foreigners
• Abortion legality limited to five weeks by a secret 2015 decree
• Institutional complicity: authorities often side with abusers, especially officials

5. Conclusion and Assessment of Current Gender Conditions in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan’s situation is marked by severe systemic neglect and regression in women’s rights:

• No Legal Protections: Gender violence is not criminalized.
• Normalized Abuse: Women are urged to stay silent.
• No Gendered Climate Response: Environmental stress increases inequality, with no inclusive adaptation policy.
• Authoritarian Control of Women’s Bodies: Dress codes, virginity tests, and limited mobility institutionalized oppression.
• Rising Extremism Influence: Taliban’s regional presence may deepen domestic conservatism.
  

Recommendations

• Develop legal frameworks addressing all forms of gender-based violence, including economic and institutional abuse.
• Integrate gender analysis into all climate adaptation and disaster response strategies.
• Strengthen independent monitoring and international cooperation for accountability.
• Use preventative measures to block cultural practices influenced by regional fundamentalism (e.g., Taliban-style).
• Ensure women’s access to water, energy, and land, especially in rural drought-prone areas.
• Restore and expand women’s rights to travel, study, and migrate by lifting discriminatory travel bans.

https://docs.un.org/en/S/PV.9726

Voices of International Experts and Institutions

UN and OSCE Bodies Expressed Serious Concern About:

• Suppression of women’s rights
• Denial of legal remedies
• Censorship of women’s bodies and clothing
• Travel bans on female students and foreign spouses
  

UN Experts (2024–2025) Condemned:

• Bans on cosmetic procedures
• Mandatory traditional dress codes
• Reduction of legal abortion window to 5 weeks without consultation
  

Civil Society / NGO Input

THF & HRU:

• Documented abuses, movement restrictions, denial of documents, internet censorship
• Testimonies from gender violence victims
• Criticism of "statistical beautification" by government
  
  

UNFPA:
 Noted bias against disabled women in employment and reproductive rights.

International Planned Parenthood Federation:
 Condemned covert abortion rollback (5-week limit).

UN Committee Against Torture (CAT):
Following Turkmenistan's 3rd periodic report, issued recommendations reflecting concerns in the joint shadow report by Progres Foundation. Criticized widespread torture, impunity, human rights abuses, and gender-based violence.

https://progres.online/society/un-condemns-torture-and-violence-against-women-in-turkmenistan/

Societal Views/Actions Toward Women and Girls in Turkmenistan

• Gender violence is deeply normalized; victims face social blame.
• Families often don't support abused daughters.
• Cultural/religious pressures enforce submission.
• Officials act with impunity — even diplomats insult wives and daughters.
• Victims avoid reporting due to fear and mistrust.
• Institutions like elders' councils and women’s unions silently approve harmful customs.
  

Vulnerability and Discrimination of Turkmen Women Abroad (Especially in Turkey)

There are serious concerns that Turkmen citizens in Turkey who have publicly criticized the Turkmen government and its policies, or have engaged—even modestly—in civic activities critical of the Turkmen authorities, may be detained, interrogated, prosecuted, forcibly deported, or even subjected to torture if returned to Turkmenistan.

The Turkmen government's refusal to renew passports at diplomatic missions abroad puts many Turkmen citizens and migrant workers, including numerous women residing in Turkey and other countries, at risk of being unable to exercise their rights, as their legal residency status in host countries is directly tied to the possession of a valid Turkmen passport. Without a valid passport, they live in the shadows. They are unable to apply for or extend residence permits.

https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/11/its-i-live-cage/turkmen-authorities-denial-passports-turkmen-citizens-turkiy

The treatment of Turkmen women married to foreigners is a recent example of how far Ashgabat is willing to go to keep its citizens from leaving the country.

Last year, the dissident outlet Turkmen.News, based in Europe and covering events in Turkmenistan, reported that authorities were “removing passengers from flights en masse,” seemingly in response to Turkey’s easing of certain migration rules.

According to data published by Turkey’s Migration Service in December 2024, there are officially 205,369 Turkmen citizens residing in Turkey, though the actual number may be higher.

Yilmaz, who spoke to the Turkmen service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is one of nearly 60 members of a WhatsApp group consisting of Turkish men married to Turkmen citizens who found themselves effectively trapped after visiting this Central Asian country.

 https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-travel-bans-husbands-wives-separated-turkey/33280266.html

Key Issues:

• Government critics risk detention, torture, or forced return.
• Refusal to renew passports leaves many undocumented and stateless.
• Women married to foreigners face travel bans.
• Families are separated; many Turkmen citizens trapped abroad.

Systemic Discrimination:
 Turkmen women are denied passport renewals and other documents, resulting in de facto isolation. They are labeled kachak—undocumented individuals deprived of basic rights (such as access to healthcare, children’s education, and legal employment).

No Access to Consular Protection:
 Turkmen authorities cite a “lack of resources for passport printing,” although this is technically feasible, as demonstrated by other countries 

Recommendation:
Demand transparent documentation processes and protection of Turkmen citizens abroad, including diplomatic pressure on the MFA of Turkmenistan.

A strategic plan has been developed for comprehensive research and expansion of data and sources on this issue for the 2025–2027 period, in close collaboration with the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation and the organization “Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan.”

 

Report Prepared by:

Daria Gerasimova, Intern at Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan

Edited and Agreed with:

Tolekan Ismailova, Director, “Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan”

Date: June 27, 2025

THF Revisions: June 30, 2025

Revisions by the organization “Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan” following the online conference held on July 3, 2025, with representatives of the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.: July 4, 2025