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Tough life for Tajik women =20
By Rachel Ellison=20
BBC, Tajikistan =20
High unemployment and low wages have driven many of Tajikistan's =
men to seek work abroad. For those who remain, mainly women, life is =
even tougher as Rachel Ellison found out on a trip for the World Service =
Trust to help train local female journalists.=20
=20
"Intrigued": Eight of Rachel Ellison's journalism students=20
We had travelled thousands of miles from London and the women =
journalists who greeted us were clearly intrigued by our presence in =
their country.=20
Focusing on women's issues turned out to be an effective way of =
tapping into what is really going on in this corner of Central Asia.=20
Unofficial figures put unemployment in Tajikistan at 60% in some =
regions.=20
As a result, a million men out of a population of seven million =
people have left the country to find work in neighbouring Russia.=20
Some send money home, others never return, marrying again and =
starting new families with Russian women.=20
In rural areas, women and their elderly relatives can be seen =
farming the land. There are just no men of working age around.=20
One of our journalism trainees, Bichalicha, was often late for our =
seminar.=20
=20
We met doctors and teachers selling fruit and vegetables in =
the bazaar because their state salaries are so low=20
=20
I stopped her on the stairs to ask if there was a problem.=20
"My husband is away and I have two jobs as well as the children to =
look after," she replied, catching her breath.=20
"My husband hasn't sent any money from Russia. I don't even know =
when I'll next see him."=20
You would never know that this beautiful, educated woman, in her =
traditional voluminous velvet, ankle-length dress of green and gold, was =
struggling to hold it all together.=20
Bichalicha smiled warmly and added: "I just try to keep going for =
the children's sake."=20
I did not dare ask what she would do if her husband did not =
return.=20
Brain drain=20
Bichalicha is lucky to find any employment.=20
After independence, Russian-backed factories and aluminium =
treatment plants ground to a halt.=20
Those with professional qualifications are not faring well either. =
Of the husbands who do return from Russia, plenty bring a =
suitcase packed full of roubles, but an increasing number of men are =
also carrying HIV=20
=20
We met doctors and teachers selling fruit and vegetables in the =
bazaar because their state salaries are so low.=20
One of them told me: "I make $40 a month as a doctor but I can't =
feed my family from that. I'm forced to leave a job I love and trained =
hard for."=20
It is not as if Tajikistan can afford to let go of its high =
quality graduates, especially doctors.=20
=20
--=20
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<DIV>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D629 border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=3D3>
<DIV class=3Dmxb>
<DIV class=3Dsh>Tough life for Tajik women </DIV></DIV></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop width=3D416><FONT size=3D2><!-- S BO --><!-- S IBYL =
-->
<DIV class=3Dmvb>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D416 border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=3Dbottom>
<DIV class=3Dmvb><SPAN class=3Dbyl>By Rachel Ellison =
</SPAN><BR><SPAN=20
class=3Dbyd>BBC, Tajikistan =
</SPAN></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><IMG=20
height=3D1 alt=3D"" hspace=3D0=20
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif"
width=3D416 =
border=3D0><BR></DIV><!-- E IBYL -->
<P><B>High unemployment and low wages have driven many of =
Tajikistan's men=20
to seek work abroad. For those who remain, mainly women, life is =
even=20
tougher as Rachel Ellison found out on a trip for the World =
Service Trust=20
to help train local female journalists.</B>=20
<P><!-- S IIMA -->
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D203 align=3Dright =
border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV><IMG height=3D152=20
alt=3D"Group of eight journalism trainees in Dushanbe, =
capital of Tajikistan"=20
hspace=3D0=20
=
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41332000/jpg/_41332549_women=
001_203.jpg"=20
width=3D203 border=3D0>=20
<DIV class=3Dcap>"Intrigued": Eight of Rachel Ellison's =
journalism=20
students</DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA =
-->We had=20
travelled thousands of miles from London and the women journalists =
who=20
greeted us were clearly intrigued by our presence in their =
country.=20
<P>Focusing on women's issues turned out to be an effective way of =
tapping=20
into what is really going on in this corner of Central Asia.=20
<P>Unofficial figures put unemployment in Tajikistan at 60% in =
some=20
regions.=20
<P>As a result, a million men out of a population of seven million =
people=20
have left the country to find work in neighbouring Russia.=20
<P>Some send money home, others never return, marrying again and =
starting=20
new families with Russian women.=20
<P>In rural areas, women and their elderly relatives can be seen =
farming=20
the land. There are just no men of working age around.=20
<P>One of our journalism trainees, Bichalicha, was often late for =
our=20
seminar.=20
<P><!-- S IBOX -->
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D208 align=3Dright =
border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD width=3D5><IMG height=3D1 alt=3D"" hspace=3D0=20
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"
width=3D5 =
border=3D0></TD>
<TD class=3Dsibtbg>
<DIV class=3Do><IMG height=3D152=20
alt=3D"One of Rachel Ellison's trainees in a market, talking =
to a doctor"=20
hspace=3D0=20
=
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41332000/jpg/_41332283_marke=
t015_203.jpg"=20
width=3D203 border=3D0> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=3Dmva><IMG height=3D13 alt=3D""=20
=
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif"=20
width=3D24 border=3D0> <B>We met doctors and teachers =
selling fruit and=20
vegetables in the bazaar because their state salaries are so =
low</B>=20
<IMG height=3D13 alt=3D""=20
=
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif"=20
width=3D23 align=3Dright border=3D0><BR=20
clear=3Dall></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX =
-->I stopped=20
her on the stairs to ask if there was a problem.=20
<P>"My husband is away and I have two jobs as well as the children =
to look=20
after," she replied, catching her breath.=20
<P>"My husband hasn't sent any money from Russia. I don't even =
know when=20
I'll next see him."=20
<P>You would never know that this beautiful, educated woman, in =
her=20
traditional voluminous velvet, ankle-length dress of green and =
gold, was=20
struggling to hold it all together.=20
<P>Bichalicha smiled warmly and added: "I just try to keep going =
for the=20
children's sake."=20
<P>I did not dare ask what she would do if her husband did not =
return.=20
<P><B>Brain drain</B>=20
<P>Bichalicha is lucky to find any employment.=20
<P>After independence, Russian-backed factories and aluminium =
treatment=20
plants ground to a halt.=20
<P>Those with professional qualifications are not faring well =
either.=20
<P><!-- S IBOX -->
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D208 align=3Dright =
border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD width=3D5><IMG height=3D1 alt=3D"" hspace=3D0=20
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"
width=3D5 =
border=3D0></TD>
<TD class=3Dsibtbg>
<DIV>
<DIV class=3Dmva><IMG height=3D13 alt=3D""=20
=
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif"=20
width=3D24 border=3D0> <B>Of the husbands who do return from =
Russia,=20
plenty bring a suitcase packed full of roubles, but an =
increasing=20
number of men are also carrying HIV</B> <IMG height=3D13 =
alt=3D""=20
=
src=3D"http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif"=20
width=3D23 align=3Dright border=3D0><BR=20
clear=3Dall></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX =
-->We met=20
doctors and teachers selling fruit and vegetables in the bazaar =
because=20
their state salaries are so low.=20
<P>One of them told me: "I make $40 a month as a doctor but I =
can't feed=20
my family from that. I'm forced to leave a job I love and trained =
hard=20
for."=20
<P>It is not as if Tajikistan can afford to let go of its high =
quality=20
graduates, especially doctors.=20
</P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>
<DIV><BR>-- <BR> <A=20
href=3D"http://therealcuba.com/Dennis.htm">http://therealcuba.com/Dennis.=
htm</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://therealcuba.com/Page24.htm">http://therealcuba.com/Page24.=
htm</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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