Отчет о работе женотдела ЦК КПТ за август-сентябрь 1923 г. Zhenotdel CC CPT report for August-September 1923

Translation

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Zhenotdel CC CPT

№ zh/8754 18/X 1923

…the material has been reviewed

<<Seal: Bureau of the Secretariat of the CC RKP(b) Date 25/X 1923. Incoming № 14273>>

Report on the work of the CC CPT Zhenotdel for August and September, 1923.

During the reporting period the primary work issues for the department have included the struggle over family and domestic living conditions for the indigenous population, the re-election campaign for delegate meetings, involving women in the cooperatives and Koshchi Unions, educating female natives, and participating in the Krai Conference of Textile Worker Unions and the Krai Conference of Agitprop Leadership.

With respect to reconciling the Code of Civil Law with traditional Muslim Sharia Law and Adat [tribal customary law], the Zhenotdel objected to the draft law submitted to the Turtsik [the Turkestan CEC] relating to the age of marriage, the marriageable age, and marriage registration.

On this issue the Zhenotdel has submitted its opinion protesting these points to the CC Politburo.  Relevant information on this issue has also been collected.

Two Conferences were convened: the first consisting of Zhenotdel workers, including representatives from the KSM, the Kochshi Union, agitprop, and the organizing committee, while the second consisted of responsible workers from the indigenous population.

The Conferences amended the draft law: to incorporate a marriage age of 16 for women and 18 for men rather than 15 for women and 17 for men under the draft law proposed by the Narkomvnudel Commission; an agreement was reached to retain polygamy with up to 4 wives, while certain revisions and stronger terms were introduced in cases that permit polygamy; there was support for the personal appearance of the bride at the ZAGS Board for marriage registration.  Marriage registration in the bride’s absence was permitted only in the event that she chose not to appear at the registration department due to domestic conditions. The views adopted at the meetings were submitted to the Ispolburo for approval. The Ispolburo [Executive Bureau] approved all these points, with the exception of polygamy, where it was silently removed from the draft law proposed by the Commission under the Narkomvnudel and Turtsik.

All this material is being developed now by the Narkomyust for legal codification under Soviet rule.

A discussion campaign, principally among Party members in the indigenous population, has been scheduled in order to make it possible to abolish polygamy.

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In order to determine the degree to which polygamy is progressing or regressing in Turkestan, a request has been filed with the Sovnarkom on whether it’s possible to obtain the relevant information from the TsSU [Central Statistical Administration].

Since the decree to repeal kalym is not being enacted, and the dekhans are repeatedly requesting a “price reduction on women,” measures have been taken through the Narkomyust to publish the decree and the accompanying distribution order that it be enacted, while a request has been filed through the CC Zhenotdel for the All-Russian CEC to promptly ratify the draft articles that impose penalties for the use of kalym, for the laws that are already part of the Civil Code.  The articles have been approved by the Turtsik.

The Zhenotdel is collecting material to lay the groundwork to repeal marriage-based water rights in Turkmenia.

A resolution is being passed through the Executive Bureau to agitate for the removal of the chador. Responsible workers from the indigenous population have been instructed to develop circulars and main points for argument on this issue.

The following have been developed for the delegate meeting re-election campaign: a circular, main points for argument for women from the indigenous population, a position on delegate meetings that is applicable to local conditions, and a program of activities for delegate meetings comprised of women from the indigenous population.

Circulars on the significance of delegate meetings and the need for participation by trade union organizations and Koshchi Unions in this campaign have been distributed through the Turkmen Bureau of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and the Koshchi Union CC.

A circular and a position on the issue of involving women in the work of the cooperatives and establishing relationships with the cooperatives have been developed and distributed through Party, professional, cooperative and Koshchi Union channels.

A session of the organizing collegium of the Turkman Union and the Zhenotdel was held on practical activities to involve women in cooperation and becoming involved with the work of these institutions.

A close relationship has been established with the Koshchi Union CC; a joint circular on involving woman peasants in the Koshchi Unions has been distributed, while a corresponding circular was distributed separately by the Koshchi Union CC.

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Trade union work has been implemented through: participation in the presidium sessions of the cultural departments; providing leadership through the VTsPS [All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions] Turkburo, participating in the conference of the cultural departments, providing leadership for the VTsPS Turkburo and for the trade unions relating to participation in the re-election campaign for delegate meetings.

Trade union work among women has been feeble because the trade unions have assigned the entire scope of this work to the zhenotdels: the zhenotdels do not have the capacity to perform all this work in its entirety due to a lack of workers.

<<Margin note: "Determine the number of working staff for all work departments">>

Work among women is best, among all the unions, with the Textile Workers' unions.  There are L.B. schools, a Fabzavuch [factory training for adolescents] school is being opened, women are becoming involved in club work; significantly so in the case of union work.

The Zhenotdel representative has been actively involved in the Krai Conference of Textile Worker Unions. The Conference adopted the resolution on work among women proposed by the Zhenotdel.  It noted the low level of work being done by the union among women and identified future work options.

One woman at the conference was appointed to the union ruling presidium; she was also assigned the task of work among women within the union.

The Zhenotdel has been using the Krai Conference of Agitprop Leadership to promote its own work.   Main points of argument relating to Agitprop work among women were presented there and they were adopted by the Conference.

Five circulars were developed and distributed: on involving women in cooperative work, on recruiting women into the Koshchi Union, on the re-election campaign for delegate meetings, on focusing greater effort on schools, on clubs for Muslim women and on establishing an institute of women trainees at the oblast zhenotdels.

Three circulating letters have been developed and disseminated: on the terms for subscribing to the Kommunistka newspaper, on participation in…. local female workers and on trainees.

Instructional comradely letters were distributed as follows: 7 to Bukhara; 2 to Amu-Darya; 1 to Zhetysu and 3 to Turkmenia.

Twelve new workers have been distributed among the oblasts as follows: 6 were sent to Syr-Darya and 2 each to Fergana, Samarkand and Khwarezm.  Two are on the oblast level-a director of the Zhenotdel for Syr-Darya and one for Samarkand.

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Female students from SAKU [V.I. Lenin Central Asian Communist University], after completing practical work, have been assigned as follows: the 2 best students (1 is a Muslim woman) were sent to Khwarezm, and 4 were sent to the Syr-Darya Oblast Zhenotdel, with the remaining assigned to various other work along Party and Soviet lines.

1. Work to eliminate illiteracy:

Fifteen schools have been established under the ChKLB [Extraordinary Commission to Eliminate Illiteracy] for Muslim women on the topic of State supply. Establishment of the schools has been closely organized within ChKLB operational planning, as expressed in joint sessions and the coordinated resolution of unresolved issues.

There was participation in assigning an equal number of Muslim and European women to equivalent schools and institutions of higher education through the Agitprop of the CC CPT.

A total of 41 women from the indigenous population were assigned to the schools and distributed as follows: 20 50% to krai midwifery courses; 6 to medical assistant courses, 2 to nursing courses, 10 to SAKU and 3 to Muslim trade schools.

Work has picked up considerably at the Uzbek Women's Krai Institute of Education: A youth cell with 8 members has been organized and there are 2 clubs that are cultural-educational with a political focus under the direction of Cde. Burnasheva-the Director of the Education Department of the Institute of Education.

Press participation has involved the following: 8 articles and commentary have been submitted to Turkestanskaya Pravda, Ak-Mol, Turkestan, Moskovskaya Pravda, Zhurnal Rabotnitsa and the newspaper Turkestanskiy Rabochiy.

An expense budget has been submitted to the Executive Bureau for conducting the Krai Congress of Women Peasants; however, because of the lack of sufficient funds here locally, the budget was submitted to the CC CPT. There has been no response concerning the allocation of the necessary funds, so there has been no preparatory work for the Congress.

An appeal has been submitted to the CC Zhenotdel for rapid approval and funding in accordance with this budget.

In order to improve the success rate in organizing artels [workers' and peasants' cooperatives] for Muslim women, a woman worker associated with us who speaks the peasant's language was sent to the Turkestan Trade Union, although she's being paid for by the Kustprom [Directorate for the Handicraft Industry].

Since the Narkomzdrav has been attempting to combine the "Safeguarding

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Mother and Child" division with the medical division, the Zhenotdel has been making every effort to maintain the independence of the former division, which guarantees more productive work. The entire system of orphanages under Narkomzdrav is being retained under the state budget.

Measures have been taken to re-activate the Council to Combat Prostitution (which has been inactive since June). One session of the Council was held in late September at which it was proposed that it would be necessary to use repressive measures against those who buy women's bodies. A special commission was assigned to perform the practical and active development of this proposal to see that it is put into practice.

Fifteen native women were sent to the All-Russian Exhibition.

Funds were solicited via the Sovnarkom to send Uzbek women from the old city of Tashkent to the Exhibition. These peasant women took with them their own displays for the exhibition: they had decorated two rooms in an Eastern-style private residence as honeymoon rooms, one for poor newlyweds and one for rich newlyweds. 

Work on providing assistance to the hungry in Fergana and for children has involved working closely with the Detkomissiya [Commission on Children] through which the Zhenotdel does all its work.

We have satisfactory communications with the PEC and the CC departments. Fundamental issues are resolved with the PEC and are then coordinated with the relevant departments.

Communications with Agitprop is poor.

The CC Zhenotdel has been doing little work due to the lack of qualified workers. Three people have been working in the department in the reporting period, although they are insufficiently trained in both theoretical and practical terms. Nonetheless, compared to previous months, work has picked up both in agitation and in terms of organization; communications has been established with institutions and the People's Commissariat employees.

There were no sessions of the collegium of the Central Zhenotdel during the reporting period.

All fundamental issues that need to be implemented are resolved at collegium sessions in the oblasts as well as several of the uezds.

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[Work] by oblast. There has been little work done recently in the Zhetysu and Syr-Darya oblasts.  A new capable worker has joined the Syr-Darya Oblast Zhenotdel. It has not yet been possible to send a worker who is needed to the Zhetysu oblast.

A worker is also needed for the Feregana oblast. The situation is significantly worse in the uezds. There are no workers and no leadership for the Uezd Committees, nor money or vehicles.  This is particularly true in the Syr-Darya and Zhetysu oblasts.

Work by oblast.

The Syr-Darya Oblast Zhenotdel

Instructions have been given to the locals concerning the election campaigns for the Councils and on electing female delegates.  A single anti-religion lecture was given; 180 female workers attended. Four public health lectures were given-450 people attended, and there was a single lecture on the cooperative movement. An anti-religion club was organized with an attendance of 10.  Three female correspondents were assigned. Council members have been involved with divisions of the Gorsovet [Municipal Soviet], assigned to orphanages and are participating in ongoing campaigns.  Four L.B. schools with 125 people have been organized. Work on political literacy using the Kovalenko book is ongoing among women from the indigenous population.  The assignment of women to medical assistant courses and midwifery courses is at 50% of the plan level.

A single session of union organizers has been held on the priority tasks for the union organizers. Six people have been assigned to leadership positions in various unions. A census of women members of the trade union in the oblast was taken, showing 7,559 members, including 32 women native workers.  There were 3,125 unemployed women, with 705 of them union members.  The circulars of the CC of the CPT that were received are being implemented.

A non-party conference of Uzbek women was held. A club for women from the indigenous population was opened in the old city.  On the day the club was opened, 6 Uzbek women removed their chadors.

A total of 18 women, including 6 European women, were sent to an agricultural exhibition. There was active participation in the celebration of Youth Day.