In 2021, IPHR provided financial support for an art therapy project in Tajikistan’s prisons launched by the Dushanbe-based NGO Human Rights Centre. The art therapy project event is part of the activities of the Coalition against Torture and Impunity of the Republic of Tajikistan, implemented by Human Rights Centre to provide rehabilitation services to convicts in accordance with the standards of the Istanbul Protocol.
For the first time, on 18 April 2022, art therapy activities were launched for female convicts in the women’s colony YAS 3\12 in the city of Nurek, in Tajikistan’s southern province of Khatlon. Art therapy is aimed at stimulating relaxation, solving issues of stress, establishing healthy relationships with others, and helping to understand oneself and one’s inner experiences. Art therapy sessions are conducted jointly by an artist and a psychologist with extensive experience in carrying out anti-stress and relaxation exercises.
The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Penalties of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan within the framework of the “Strategy for Reforming the System of Execution of Criminal Penalties of the Republic of Tajikistan for the Period up to 2030”. In particular, this project aims to strengthen those components of the reforms that support psychological, educational, and social rehabilitation measures. The activities to support female convicts are also carried out within the framework of the UN’s “Rules on the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Penalties for Women Offenders” (the Bangkok Rules), which were adopted by General Assembly Resolution 65/229 of 21 December 2010.
The art therapy project is being implemented in partnership with the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), with financial support from the European Union, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.
For more information, you can contact by e-mail: hrc.tajikistan@gmail.com