“As a child, I loved reading books, and my favorites were “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” and the works of Dumas,” says Colonel Umida Abdullayeva, Head of the Department for Women’s and Social Affairs of the Crime Prevention Service of the Public Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Umida was born and raised in the town of Gulistan, Syrdarya region in a family of teachers. There she received her higher education - at the Gulistan State University at the Faculty of Law and History, which she graduated with honors. Immediately after university, she went to work as a specialist at the Information Center of the local Department of Internal Affairs. Although she had been preparing for a career of a teacher, her parents fully supported her decision and their only advice, which Umida still considers her main motto to this day, was "Whatever work you do, you must help other people."

“The personality a girl will grow into depends largely on her upbringing and support in the family,” Umida shares her opinion. “My parents were convinced that having a good education would make it easier for girls and boys to find their place in life, and it helped me to believe in myself. Difficulties in life are difficult to avoid, so it is very important to educate girls to be able to overcome them.”

Umida adheres to these beliefs in her current activities and, probably, therefore, she deservedly became a direct participant in important reforms in the country. In 2019, which became a remarkable year in the field of gender equality and ensuring the rights of women in Uzbekistan, two laws were adopted, and Umida Abdullayeva was entrusted to lead the work on protection of women from domestic violence in the new department created in the structure of crime prevention of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan. For the past three years, together with her colleagues, she has been establishing a system to protect women's rights and prevent domestic violence throughout the Republic. With the support from the United Nations Development Programme, 300 women inspectors got acquainted with the experience of Sweden in combating gender-based violence and the work of shelters.

According to Umida, getting education, professional skills and increasing the level of legal literacy among girls and women would greatly contribute to reducing domestic violence. “It is necessary that from early childhood our children clearly understand what is legal and what is illegal. That is why it is important that their parents are educated, know their rights and obligations, feel equal responsibility for the family and children, and are able to raise children in a spirit of respect for the law and on the principles of gender equality. It is because of the enforced gender stereotypes that girls often suffer in adulthood. From a historical perspective, it becomes clear that these stereotypes appeared in our society relatively recently. Take, for example, Tumaris, who is an important historical figure in our region, and she was a fearless warrior, leader and defender of her people.”

Umida Abdullayeva, like all internal affairs officers, took the military oath and, together with her team, is fulfilling her duty to protect the people of Uzbekistan. The department headed by Umida at the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a permanent partner of UNDP in Uzbekistan in the field of protecting women's rights and preventing domestic violence.

During one of the UN meetings she attended in Geneva in 2019, Umida heard a phrase that is preserved in her memory to this day: “We must educate boys with a sense of involvement.” "I believe that we should cultivate this feeling in every person, potential defenders of their families, their countries."

When asked if it is difficult to be a defender, Colonel Umida Abdullayeva answered honestly: “Yes, it is definitely not easy, but our strength is in our teamwork. The main thing is to maintain the sense of responsibility, care about the fate of our people and our homeland, will power and ability to provide a timely response. All difficulties and fatigue are forgotten when at least one woman in need finds the help that she came seeking.”