IWPR

Children Drop out of School to Work

Economic pressures are forcing school-age children to drop out of school to take jobs at places like the Dordoi wholesale market outside Bishkek.

Kindergarten Places in Short Supply

Pre-school facilities in Kyrgyzstan are overcrowded, with long waiting lists, Jyldyz Joroeva reports.

Kyrgyz Language Barrier

Disabled Children Missing Out on School

Most disabled children in northern Tajikistan are not getting any schooling, Kamari Ahrorzoda reports.

Adolescents Hooked on Computer Games

Reporter Shoira Yusupova interviewed families whose children skip school to play computer games.

Poverty Contributes to Filling Female Prisons

Reporter Bibiroka Abdullaeva spend the day at a women’s prison in Nurek, where many of the inmates are there for serious crimes such as murder and drug trafficking.

Profile: Buthaina Shaaban

As the Syrian president’s right-hand woman, Shaaban presents a polished defence of regime policies.

Ministerial Reshuffle Disappoints

Officials in charge of ailing economy should have been axed, say local analysts.

Domestic Abuse Seen as Socially Acceptable

Reporter Asliddin Ochilov looked at mistreatment of women in the northern city of Khujand, and found that mother-in-laws are often the main culprits.

Kyrgyz Authorities Fear Bird Flu

As the western world worries about swine flu, Kyrgyzstan with its eastern location is still concerned about the avian variety.