Seminars on women’s rights

Gulnara Karakulova, the teacher of the department of the Russian language and Literature in South Kazakhstan State University named after M. Auezov and the leader of the initiative group has participated in "Rights of women. The Educational program for women" project, organized by AWIC (Almaty Women’s Information Centre). She participated regularly in five seminars, which were in Almaty since April to October, 1998 within the framework of the educational program and she has studied the course in amount of 270 hours.

The purpose of the project is a change of the self-consciousness, particularly of women, as well as society as a whole. It means that women should realize their own rights, could formulate them by themselves, and could try to get information on their own rights, could discuss about the improvement of the public position of women and about equality publicly.

Gulnara Karakulova has conducted seminars, meetings on spreading the knowledge in the field of human rights in South Kazakhstan region actively as an organizer of the educational project

5 training seminars were organized by the initiative group of "Women’s Resource Center" since April to October, 1998 where women-representatives of educational and medical institutions, NGO, students and unemployed were used. Journalists were also invited who wrote about made activities in Mass Media.

Seminars included the following themes:

· Explanation of political terms

· History development of the rights of women

· Democratic society and rights of women

· Discrimination of women in the language

· "Rights of women are human rights"

· Rights of women in Kazakhstan law

· Political parties in Kazakhstan and rights of women

· Activity of international organizations on improvement of the position of women

Themes were offered for work in groups:

· "Rights of women" concretely

· " Women’s policy" concretely

· "Women’s discrimination" concretely

· "Violence" concretely

· "Unemployment" concretely

· "NPG". What is it?

· Searching for possibilities

· Lobbying: What is it?

· "Knowledge is a power. Information network is else bigger power"

Seminar "Woman. Right. The Society" in partnership with "Centre of the Support of Women" from Taldykorgan was organized in December, 1998. The chance to meet with Zulfiya Baysakova, president of Taldykorgan Women’s Organization was given for women of South Kazakhstan region, for getting necessary information and exchange by experience. This event had a great practical importance for participants.