Translated with AI
Thanks to a project by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Affairs Canada, clothing and furniture workshops have opened in Dushanbe Prison and the Vahdat Correctional Facility. Since 2023, this initiative has been helping prisoners learn new professions, renewing their self-confidence, and providing them with realistic opportunities for subsequent reintegration into society, according to the UN press service.
Thirty-eight-year-old Otabek Ashurov, serving a sentence in a correctional facility in Dushanbe, starts his day in an unusual way for a prisoner: he goes to work. Today, he's a tailor in a sewing workshop.
"I never thought I'd be sewing clothes," Otabek says, threading a needle. "But in a short time, I became a professional tailor. Now I even teach others."
Otabek is one of 100 prisoners employed in the sewing workshop. They don't just pass the time in the workshop; they produce high-quality uniforms for military and medical personnel, schools, and industrial enterprises.
The work isn't limited to sewing. In another wing of the correctional facility, mattresses and furniture are made.
Otabek's 43-year-old friend Latif Jononov works in a carpentry workshop.
"I was given a choice: sew or make furniture. I chose the latter, and Otabek chose the former," Latif recalls. "Now I'm a certified furniture maker."
Thanks to a project by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Affairs Canada, clothing and furniture workshops have opened not only in the Dushanbe prison but also in another correctional facility in the city of Vahdat.
Since 2023, this initiative has been helping prisoners learn new professions, restore their self-confidence, and provide them with real opportunities for subsequent reintegration into society.
Their work is already bearing fruit. In particular, in 2024, one of the secondary schools in Vahdat officially ordered uniforms made by prisoners.
The Tajik government has given the penitentiary system the opportunity to participate in state tenders. This policy opens new markets for prison-produced goods, strengthens employment programs, and engages more people in rehabilitation.
For prisoners like Otabek and Latif, it's not just their profession that matters. Their work is paid, allowing them to provide small but much-needed support to their families even in prison.
Vocational training is only part of the program. Inmates also need emotional and psychological rehabilitation.
Since 2023, more than 4,160 people, including 660 women, have received psychological counseling and religious therapy in Vahdat, Dushanbe, and Nurek. Led by specialists, these meetings create a safe space for reflecting on the past, overcoming trauma, and restoring self-esteem.
At the same time, over 100 prison staff members underwent specialized training, learning about international standards for prisoner treatment. Civil society representatives also received training to support the reintegration of prisoners, particularly in juvenile and women's facilities.
Thanks to systemic support, people like Otabek and Latif are given the chance to rebuild their lives and find hope and confidence in their ability to make a real difference to society.
