Group of Tashkent girls launched a social project called Ayol Buyum Emas (Woman is not an Object) to counter violence against women. As part of the project, they have published photos of themselves holding banners with anti-violence slogans and red stains resembling blood.

The participants of the project said that the project was was prompted by the case of officials in the Khorezm region, who for almost a year sexually exploited three pupils of the Urgench family-type orphanage No. 1 through the mediation of the director of the orphanage. The names of two officials have been made public, but other people may have been involved, according to reports.

Marzhona Khidirova

We want to fight against violence, we want a safer society. Absolutely nothing can justify the fact that some person destroys the fate of another just for the sake of satisfying his lust. It's just disgusting.

Mushtariy Oqboeva

After it became known about the situation in the orphanage in Khorezm, it began to be widely discussed in social networks. Everyone expressed sympathy for the girls. However, this is only transient, it will soon be forgotten when a new topic resurges. Therefore, we, outraged by the violence against women and girls, gathered and decided that “something must be done”. In any case, it is better than inaction.

At first, we wanted to post photos and information around the city about the actions of justice and emergency workers who had sexual intercourse with girls from Khorezm. But a photograph of one of them could not be found. In addition, we decided that this could harm their children, and changed our mind.

Dilshod Shomirzaeva

Haven't there been cases like this before? Yes, of course there have been plenty. We reported about them and studied these cases.

It's not about yet another case of violence, not that it was officials who did it, but that they abuse girls without any fear, again and again, and other organizations turn a blind eye to this and try to hush up the case. Finally, in the unfair verdict of the judge, whose priority should be to ensure fairness and transparency. That's the problem.

There are many systemic problems in the system, they did not work and do not work for the people, for people, and we no longer hope that they will work. We are afraid of it, we are horrified by it.

We do not want other girls and women in Uzbekistan to be subjected to violence. If the state cannot protect them, groups like us should. As long as the state is failing to perform its duty, cannot hand a just sentence, activists must act on their own. Therefore, we opened this group and raised banners.

Further, we plan to develop the project and help those who find themselves or may find themselves in a situation similar to the one in which the girls found themselves in Khorezm. Maybe we are young and inexperienced, but we are on the path of goodness and justice.