Guilford College Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies Zulfiya Tursunova was invited as keynote speaker to a conference, “Spiritual and legal foundations for protecting women from harassment and violence,” organized by the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation, Uzbek State University of World Languages, and Tashkent Women's Association Olima.
Zulfiya’s speech, "Ending violence against women in Uzbekistan: Call for Action," discussed the impact of gender-based violence against women and girls, dominant in many societies in the world, which diminishes social cohesion and development. Emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the risks due to lockdown policies, the erosion of economic, social, and protective networks, and changes in family function.
Zulfiya advocated for radical change to reinforce the UN 1325 Resolution on Women, Security, and Peace in order to protect the rights, freedoms, and interests of women from oppression and violence and develop effective organizational and legal mechanisms for identifying, preventing, and combating harassment and violence against women.
Furthermore, collective efforts of state bodies, self-government bodies of citizens, non-governmental non-profit organizations, and other institutions of civil society are critical in preventing harassment, violence, and oppression and designing interventions to combat violence and foster culture of empowerment and strategic peacebuilding in domestic sphere, workplace, and society.