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Uzbek Female Scientist Awarded Gold Medal at SVIIF 2024

The Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF) was held in Santa Clara, California, United States, from July 26 to 28 this year. According to UzA, Parahat Matyakubova, head of the Tashkent State Technical University, an Uzbek woman scientist, participated for the first time. More than 350 inventors from over 30 countries participated in the SVIIF 2024 festival, exhibiting their inventions and innovative developments in various fields of technology, food, medicine, chemistry, and industry. The Uzbek scientist demonstrated her scientific work and achieved results based on her invention, “Capacitive moisture meter for liquid products and pool materials,” at a competition organized within the festival's framework, wherein Matyakubova was awarded the Inventor Specialist Special Prize and a gold medal in the SVIIF-2024 Finals category. The scientist received this award for her patent on a device for controlling the moisture content of grain products and solid dispersion materials. It was reported that the results of the invention were introduced to enterprises processing grain products, and a high level of economic efficiency was achieved due to the expansion of functional capabilities.

World Orchestra Festival Social Culture Turkmenistan

Turkmen Musicians Win Gold at World Orchestra Festival

Turkmen musicians have participated for the first time in the X World Festival of Orchestras, “One Future,” which was held from July 25 to 28 in Vienna. Therein, they secured the Gold Prize in the Chamber Orchestra category. The Youth Chamber Orchestra, directed by Rasul Klychev, captivated the audience and jury with its masterful performance of Turkmen melodies and classic foreign pieces. At the festival's closing ceremony, held in the famous Golden Hall of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Turkmen musicians received the jury's highest score — forty points. British conductor Toby Purcer, head of the festival's creative committee, stated that he highly appreciated the orchestra's performance and hoped to organize joint concerts in Turkmenistan in the future.

Education Culture Social UK Art and Culture

British Publisher Promotes Kyrgyz Artists

The second issue of 'The Great Steppe Treasury', released in July by British publisher Hertfordshire Press, includes the addition of work by three artists from Kyrgyzstan: Seid Atambaev, Larisa Pak, and Gulmira Ayipova. The art catalogue which promotes the diversity of Eurasia's contemporary art, culture, and creativity, represents 24 artists from the UK, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany, and Crimea. Regarding the second edition, publisher Marat Akhmedjanov commented, “We are glad to be able to give artists from Kyrgyzstan the opportunity to share their creativity with an international audience through our unique project. And we especially admire how Seid Atambaev, as a deputy, combines his political activities with promoting his country through creativity, demonstrating the variety of ways to support the growth and representation of Kyrgyzstan." Copies of the catalogue will be sent to significant galleries in the UK and plans are in place for participants to present their work in Glasgow, London, Almaty, Minsk, St. Petersburg, and Batumi.

Human Trafficking Education Culture Central Asia Security Rule of law Legislation Human rights Migration

Kazakhstan Weighs Down on Human Trafficking

In response to data issued by international experts citing the current level of human trafficking in Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has just signed a law to address the situation. First and foremost, the new law aims to protect and provide social support for victims, the majority of whom are migrant workers, people with disabilities, solitary pensioners, young women and children. Referencing statistics, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhaev announced that 19 criminal cases were opened in Kazakhstan for child trafficking in 2023, with an additional six already logged this year. He explained that most of the children are sold within the country to meet the demand of people unable to have their own. Such cases involve staff from perinatal centers and orphanages, as well as people with unwanted pregnancies. Child trafficking is a lucrative business which continues apace despite the threat of a jail sentence of up to 18 years. According to the police, there were cases this year of parents asking for between KZT100,000 to KZT2 million, equivalent to 208 -4,168 US$, for their new-borns. Young mothers often look for potential buyers online, even while pregnant. Under the recent law, the Criminal Code has been amended to include “crimes related to trafficking in persons”, covering kidnapping, unlawful confinement, human trafficking (including trafficking minors), prostitution, etc. Amendments have also been made to the Administrative Code aimed at preventing the sale of children, including new-borns, through the introduction of the clause: “Failure of officials to report incidents of abandonment of new-borns, admission and delivery of orphans and children without parental care.” Incidents of human trafficking are invariably tragic. In most cases, the victims usually poor or homeless, are taken by force or deception to remote corners of the country, where forced to work on peasant farms, they are subjected to backbreaking labor, beatings, and a lack of medical care for months or years. The situation becomes more complicated if the victim is a migrant from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Turkmenistan. Such workers often without the documentation to work legally, are attracted by promises of decent pay and then literally put in chains. Another illegal business is begging. Not long ago, on a street in Almaty, volunteers rescued a lone, elderly person who had been forced through beatings and starvation to beg for several months. As a result of the beggar's testimony, a gang of slave traders was arrested the following day. Enforced prostitution is also common, particularly amongst low-income families and orphans. International experts have repeatedly warned Kazakh authorities of the need to increase its legal levers to tackle human trafficking. In 2020, the US placed Kazakhstan on its watch list which as Kazakhstan’s commissioner for human rights Elvira Azimova, said at the time, was a direct response to the country's number of victims. “The official numbers of identified cases of human trafficking and criminal prosecution in Kazakhstan are significantly lower than in neighbouring countries - including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbkistan - for whose population Kazakhstan is a destination. This may...

Traditions Culture

Turkmen Sewing: From Ancient Traditions to Modern Art

Turkmen sewing is not just a craft but a real art; its roots go deep into the past, to the Paleolithic era. In the Paleolithic era, people used fur and animal skins for sewing, needles made of bone, and threads made of tendons. Over the centuries, Turkmen's sewing has preserved its uniqueness. It is closely connected with national clothing and is an integral part of the people's cultural heritage. The national costume of Turkmenistan, especially women's, has always been and remains an integral part of everyday clothes for girls and women of all ages. The tradition has always been uninterrupted, and today, Turkmen women continue to wear outfits and jewelry similar to those worn by their ancestors in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women's everyday clothes consisted of dresses, robes, and scarves made of plain cotton fabrics. Festive outfits were made of bright silk fabrics with rich embroidery, and wedding dresses and robes combined exquisite embroidery with silver jewelry. The traditional costume of a Turkmen woman was a bright ensemble: a high headdress draped with silk or woolen shawl, a long red dress with a robe over it, shoes on the feet, a narrow strip of embroidered pants, and a lot of silver jewelry. [caption id="attachment_20018" align="alignnone" width="300"] @advantour.comTurkmen women in traditional clothes with a national carpet[/caption] The modern style of Turkmen clothing preserves the best national features, offering many variants of sleeve shapes and decorative trimming. Each dress is necessarily decorated with ornamental hand embroidery or artistic machine stitching. Even today, Turkmen women prefer traditional outfits, such as a long velvet dress decorated with modern embroidery and jewelry. Even the wealthiest European-style costume cannot compete with the beauty and traditionality of the Turkmen national dress. [caption id="attachment_20023" align="alignnone" width="300"] @iStockA group of dancers before the performance at the Kurban-Bairam Festival.[/caption] In addition, the ornaments used in Turkmen embroidery have a deep symbolic meaning, tying together passed-down knowledge and traditions. Each pattern's history is connected with nature, the cosmos, and mythology. Turkmen embroidery is famous for its skill and precision. It is done by hand, using thin needles and silk or cotton threads. Traditionally, Turkmen women begin sewing in childhood, mastering the embroidery technique from their mothers and grandmothers. Modern Turkmen sewing is actively developing, combining traditional techniques with contemporary trends. Masters use new materials and experiment with colors and ornaments, creating unique works and patterns. [caption id="attachment_20025" align="alignnone" width="200"] @tourstoturkmenistan.comTurkmen national carpets[/caption] Despite the development of technologies, Turkmen sewing remains a valuable type of hand labor passed from generation to generation. It is a bright symbol of Turkmenistan's national wealth and cultural heritage. In 2022, Turkmen embroidery was included in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Women entrepreneurs Culture Women-owned Enterprises Economy Legislation

Kyrgyzstan to Support Female Entrepreneurship

A group of Kyrgyz parliamentary deputies have initiated amendments to the draft law "On the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights," which will bow be supplemented with the words "women's entrepreneurship." The amendment states that women make up half of Kyrgyzstan's population, but their contribution to the economy is far less significant. Citing IMF data, the authors of the amendment stated that female entrepreneurship can contribute up to 27% to the republic's GDP. "As experience shows, the level of income from small businesses does not exceed the officially established subsistence minimum, which, unfortunately, does not leave additional funds available for further business development. The data also shows that women entrepreneurs who have better access to assets and can make independent decisions can help reduce poverty," the bill states. Representatives of the women's forum "Kurak," who contributed to drafting the amendments, proposed introducing the term "woman entrepreneur" into the law and defining this as a legal entity wherein a woman owns at least 51% of the shares. They believe this will enable women to receive preferential financing and access state support. "Women entrepreneurs often need more time to run a business. After all, they often raise children and run a household in parallel. It is also tough for a woman to get a loan from a bank because the collateral property belongs to men. Moral support from our patriarchal society and the state is also lacking," human rights activist Ainura Sarynbayeva told The Times of Central Asia. The legislative introduction of the word "woman" and "women's entrepreneurship" will help further develop women's businesses, believes Sarynbayeva, adding that commercial banks and international development institutions are already prepared to provide preferential lending. "Today, there are no countries in Central Asia where the concept of "women's entrepreneurship" is enshrined in the law. The draft law being promoted in Kyrgyzstan is largely similar to the Azerbaijani law. The authorities there support women businessmen at the state level," said Sarynbayeva. According to the latest census, Kyrgyzstan is home to 3.3 million women - half of the country's population. However, despite various training sessions and courses, only a small percentage of Kyrgyz women participate in economic activities. Human rights activists attribute this state of affairs to the haphazard nature of government support. The average Kyrgyz businesswoman is 40-50 years old, has a secondary education, is an individual entrepreneur or manages a small or medium-sized business, and has a family and children.