Participants of Moscow meeting note worsening position of women in Caucasus

On February 5, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (known as MGIMO) hosted a seminar entitled "Gender in Northern Caucasus: new challenges, everyday life, and stereotypes (between tradition, religion and modernity)".

Participants of the seminar held in Moscow discussed the problem of gender inequality in Northern Caucasus and noted that the status of women changed depending on the political situation in the country. According to key speaker Saida Sirazhudinova, the president of the Centre for Research on Global Issues of the Present and Regional Problems "Caucasus. World. Development", at present, the situation of women in the Caucasus deteriorates amid a lack of policies to protect their rights.

Saida Sirazhudinova said that in the Caucasus, in most cases, women's lives are limited to the family and society, which refused to support women. The situation is exacerbated by strict observance of religious dogmas and traditions.

Control over female sexuality, female genital mutilation, psychological and moral control, and threats of physical punishment is perceived by the male population of Northern Caucasus as acceptable in general, and a phenomenon of "honour killing" is considered an act that preserves the honour and dignity of a person, as well as society and order," stated Saida Sirazhudinova.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 6, 2019 at 05:37 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.