Tajikistan

The Integrated Rural Development Project/TRIGGER recognised the invaluable contribution of rural women to agriculture, food security and community development in workshops with 300 people including women, entrepreneurs, government officials and partners

Law enforcement reports have often highlighted the detention of girls and women for 'immoral behaviour', with their faces often previewed in news articles, violating women's rights

Over 85% of radicalized Tajik youth allegedly joined extremist groups through recruitment videos and social media while travelling to Russia in search of better job opportunities, say teachers from Tajik Ministry of Interior Academy

The first Dushanbe International Tourism Exhibition kicked off at the EXPO Centre in Dushanbe, with travel companies from over 20 countries

In a move to combat extremism, the country, where 96% of the population is Muslim, has imposed a complete ban on women wearing the hijab; previously, the hijab had been banned in schools since 2007 and in public institutions since 2009

As of 1 September, a 10-point student evaluation system has been introduced on an experimental basis in 140 city and district schools; the ministry will evaluate the effectiveness of the new system and decide on its large-scale implementation

The unitary state enterprise 'Centre for Digitalisation of the Transport Industry' of the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan is working on automating the payment system in public transport

Two-day International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Current Issues in the Development of the Hissor Sheep Breed’ was supported by the EU, in collaboration with other development partners, as part of the Integrated Rural Development Project/TRIGGER

The civil service has declined in the country, with almost 4,000 positions in government agencies currently vacant and the number of applicants decreasing significantly

A group of women in Kulob started a mushroom cultivation business last April; in June they sold their first batch of oyster mushrooms, earning over 10.000 somoni (about €840) and showing it can be quite a profitable business

Controls on the movement of heavy vehicles have been strengthened by the Ministry of Transport; mobile teams visited cement works, coal mines, sand and gravel pits to explain the importance of complying with modified requirements

The country has geared its health strategy towards an approach that brings health care closer to communities, offering a range of services in one place, close to where people live, including dentistry, non-communicable diseases, child and maternal health

The new law on parental responsibility, now entitled 'Responsibility for the upbringing and education of children Act', reflects the fact that responsibility for children now extends to all participants in the educational process