Uzbekistan: Activists in Samarkand Making a Difference

UNCLAS TASHKENT 001491

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: Activists in Samarkand Making a Difference


1. (SBU) Summary: On September 8, Poloff met with ten human
rights activists from "Ezgulik," the only registered human rights
organization in Uzbekistan. They discussed their observations of
trends in the areas of child labor and religious freedom, but most
of them focus their attention on the problems of everyday people -
an approach that may well be the best way forward for the
struggling NGO community. End summary.




2. (SBU) All of the participants in the meeting have "day jobs,"
outside professions for which they receive a salary, but on the
side they assist people in filing petitions or otherwise addressing
problems with local and regional governments. They receive little
to no money for their efforts, but get great personal satisfaction
in bringing about small changes. Participants described
successes in things like restoring the gas supply to a local mosque
and securing electrical improvements for a school that was having
to use candle light. Their work on these issues brings concrete
results, while not drawing excessive government attention.




3. (SBU) The issue of child labor evoked a wide range of
comments, and it seems that as is the case within the official
Government of Uzbekistan, there is much disagreement amongst
activists over the nature of the problem. One activist asserted
that if teachers did not involve kids in the cotton harvest,
parents would do so on their own volition, as they need the money
to cover the school costs for the children. Others insisted that
reforms needed to be made to protect the children involved, noting
that every year children die in accidents related to the cotton
harvest. (Last year five students were apparently struck by a
train when they were left unsupervised in an unfamiliar area.) One
activist suggested that the government should require that the
children receive a minimum number of calories every day that they
work the fields, to ensure that their health doesn't suffer. All
agreed that the child labor problem is intimately related to
greater problems of agricultural reform.




4. (SBU) Other activists voiced their concerns over religious
freedom in the Samarkand district. Two teachers in the meeting
specifically brought up the headscarf issue, stating that school
uniform policies generally do not allow headscarves, and that
students trying to wear them are often ridiculed or humiliated by
other kids and teachers alike, and have even been expelled on
occasion. The teachers didn't blame the government for these
problems, but rather the mentality of many people in the
population, and they stated that the schools need to encourage more
tolerance and understanding in this area.



Comment

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5. (SBU) The larger lesson that came out of this meeting is more
about the role of NGOs in Uzbekistan, rather than any one
particular issue. It's no secret that between registration
requirements and both official and unofficial harassment, the NGO
community is struggling in Uzbekistan. These Samarkand-based
activists demonstrate, however, that they can make a difference in
the daily lives of everyday individuals. They focus their work on
manageable problems, and do not attract official GOU attention.
While the work is not splashy, it may well be the basis for the
future of NGO activity in Uzbekistan. End comment.
NORLAND