![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/fillette-turkmene-\u00a9-nathan-groth-flickr-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Turkmen")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/garcon-turkmene-\u00a9-nathan-groth-flickr-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Turkmen")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Turkmenistan is one of the most restricted countries in the world.\u00a0 Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, Turkmenistan has developed into a strict dictatorship. Former President Niyazov led the country until his death.\u00a0 When he rose to power in 1985, he called himself the \u201cTurkmenbashi\u201d (father of the Turkmen) and proclaimed himself president for life.\u00a0 He created a cult of worshipers of himself at the expense of the state, and took away most of his own citizens\u2019 rights and freedoms.\u00a0 Thus, the state of children\u2019s rights is a cause for concern.<\/p>\n
Poverty<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Turkmenistan\u2019s economy depends largely on mining natural gas (the 5th<\/sup> largest reserve in the world) and drilling for oil.\u00a0 Turkmenistan is also the 10th<\/sup> largest producer of cotton in the world.<\/p>\n It is very clear, however, that the advantages gained by these operations are not used to benefit the general populace.\u00a0 The highest government officials hold a monopoly on the industries.<\/p>\n Education<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The education level<\/a> of the Turkmen population has declined considerably since Turkmenistan declared its independence.<\/p>\n Education<\/a> is free for all children.\u00a0 However, children in remote areas often do not have access to a school.<\/p>\n Even though the Turkmen education system<\/a> shares aspects of the system which had been established by the Soviet Union, the current government decided to instate changes so that children could attain a higher level of education.\u00a0 Primary and secondary curricula are being restructured according to Western models.\u00a0 The Latin alphabet has been reintroduced, so that the Arabic alphabet is not the only one learned.\u00a0 Classes are taught in Turkmen, Russian, and English.<\/p>\n The government hopes that these changes will produce competent workers and give the country an opportunity to become a global player.<\/p>\n The Rukhnama became the main subject of the country\u2019s education system<\/a>.\u00a0 Students from junior high through college had to memorize passages from the book.<\/p>\n The Rukhnama\u2019s establishment as the foundation of the Turkmen education system has skewed the system so much that experts have major concerns about how much the quality of education<\/a> has suffered, and even about the future of the Turkmen nation.\u00a0 The current system has basically created a generation whose knowledge is limited to the biography of President Niyazov.<\/p>\n Child labour<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Rural schools close every year during the harvest (September to December).\u00a0 Students and all other children are forced to work<\/a> in the cotton fields without payment.<\/p>\n Children of Minorities<\/strong><\/p>\n 85% of the population in Turkmenistan is Turkmen.\u00a0 The rest are ethnic minorities: Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Armenians, Ukrainians, Tatars, and Azerbaijanis.\u00a0 President Niyazov\u2019s reign brought the \u201cTurkmenization\u201d policy that trampled over the rights of the minority populations.<\/p>\n The former president wanted to sever historical ties with the ex-USSR and give his country a \u201cTurkmen face.\u201d\u00a0 In order to do so, he decreed Turkmen as the country\u2019s official language, even though the Constitution stipulates that all former USSR languages should be treated equally.<\/p>\n The treatment of these ethnic minorities is even worse.\u00a0 They are seen as second-class citizens and social outcasts, and are constantly discriminated<\/a> against.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have access to the same quality of education<\/a> as Turkmens, so their chances of being admitted to a university are slim, which excludes them from many work industries.<\/p>\n Discrimination<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 89% of the population in Turkmenistan is Muslim. \u00a0Religious minorities are not officially recognized by the government. \u00a0Amnesty International reports that many ethnic Turkmens who profess to a different faith than the official religion have been forced into exile or transported against their will to a different region of the country, where they have been abused and tortured by the police.<\/p>\n Child marriage<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Arranged child marriages<\/a> are common in Turkmenistan as they ensure good relations between the two families. \u00a0The father receives a dowry of money, camels, or sheep. \u00a0Sometimes, fathers will marry off their daughters in order of age.<\/p>\n Once they are married, young girls belong entirely to their new family and are expected to become pregnant within the first year of their marriage.<\/p>\n These forced marriages<\/a> are clearly a violation of children\u2019s rights for two reasons: first, because the children usually have not reached the legal age for marriage; and second, because this practice denies children the freedom to make their own decisions about their future.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, in Turkmenistan as in many other countries, arranged marriages <\/a>are deeply rooted traditions and are difficult to overcome.<\/p>\n Health<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The inefficiency of the system affects children the most. \u00a0The high rate of infant mortality<\/a> (45\u2030) is mostly due to malnutrition<\/a>, a poor health care system, domestic violence<\/a>, and a lack of hygiene.<\/p>\n Existing doctors usually have poor qualifications and little access to basic medicine, let alone to adequate medical equipment. \u00a0The medical infrastructure is quite defective and showcases the inefficiencies of health care services<\/a>. \u00a0Moreover, people in rural areas do not have access even to this limited health care.<\/p>\n Because of the poor quality of health care services, many Turkmens look to traditional medicine, such as herbal treatments and prayer.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/statue-\u00a9-nathan-groth-flickr3-150x150.jpg\" "\\"This")
50% of the population in Turkmenistan lives below the poverty line<\/a>.\u00a0 The living conditions for Turkmen have only gotten worse since the country gained independence.<\/p>\nReorganizing the education system<\/h4>\n
The Rukhnama<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/ruhnama-\u00a9-nathan-groth-flickr-150x150.jpg\" "\\"The")
As part of the education system<\/a>\u2019s reorganization, former President Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006, instated his book, called the \u201cRuhnama,\u201d as the mandatory \u2013 and only \u2013 academic book.\u00a0 The president said that this book was \u201cborn in his heart through the will of the Almighty.\u201d\u00a0 He decreed that all Turkmen people must follow all the book\u2019s principles to the letter.\u00a0 He also had the Turkmen imams give the book an equal status with the Koran, the Bible, and the Torah.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/market-\u00a9-nathan-groth-flickr-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Fabric")
The International Crisis Group published a report in 2005 which revealed the impact that the cotton industry has on children\u2019s rights.\u00a0 The report revealed the ultra-strict working conditions<\/a> for children in the cotton fields.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/president-turkmene-\u00a9-a-birdie-flickr2-150x150.jpg\" "\\"The")
Minority children, as well as adults, must learn Turkmen and favor its use over their native language.\u00a0 Most schools which taught in languages of ethnic minorities have closed.\u00a0 It falls to the parents to instruct their children in these languages.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/enfant-turkmene-\u00a9-knoxville-museum-of-art-flickr-150x150.jpg\" "\\"The")
Although the Turkmen health care system<\/a> theoretically provides free access to health care for all citizens, it\u2019s not quite so effective in practice.<\/p>\n