Introduction
This case study analyses the innovative approach taken by Youth Centre 'Ikbol', in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan between 2000 and 2005, with the aim of decreasing domestic violence and gender inequalities towards women in Uzbekistan by using the military system to raise the awareness of men on women's rights and gender issues.

Policy Change
This case study focuses on the changes in the policy documents and practice on domestic violence which took place during 2000-2004 and continues to date. The Ministry of Defence acknowledged domestic violence as a major problem for society and agreed to follow a series of projects to tackle its source rather than its symptoms; working on public awareness, education and introducing CSO participation into the policy process.

Some explanations for the policy change
Policy Context and International Factors
In comparison with the Soviet era, the rate of domestic violence against women is increasingly high, partly because of growing poverty, and partly because of a state-sponsored 'traditionalistic family-centred' ideology with paternalistic attitudes towards women. Such official policy makes the Uzbek Government reluctant to acknowledge the problem and publicly denounce it.

International actors have considered domestic violence as the most difficult and under-acknowledged challenge for women in Uzbekistan and called on the government to protect women from domestic violence and bring their aggressors to justice. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Human Rights Watch have all made numerous recommendations and calls on the Uzbek Government urging it to prevent domestic violence against women and ensure equality of rights.

The ways CSOs tried to affect policy change
A common strategy followed by CSOs in Uzbekistan in order to solve the domestic violence problem is creating temporary care-shelters and crisis centres for victims. While remaining a crucial tool for providing initial support and assistance to victims, such a strategy does not bring about a change in policies and attitudes towards domestic violence.

The nature of research-based evidence and the mechanisms used to influence policy
Ikbol developed a new perspective on the solution of this problem. Ikbol reached the conclusion that the most effective way of fighting domestic violence in Uzbekistan would be to change the public opinion on it. Research carried out by Ikbol concluded that the vast majority of men working in central and local governments perceive domestic violence and discrimination against women as a 'normal' phenomenon. Based on this, Ikbol considered that an effective way of changing these attitudes, particularly among men in the public sector would be through targeting military servicemen in the Uzbek Armed Forces and students of military schools in Uzbekistan, through which all men between the ages of 17 and 27 had to pass.

The relationship between Ikbol and the Ministry of Defence begun with a meeting between Ikbol director and Mr. M. Akhmedov, the Deputy Minister of Defence on Educational Affairs, in January 2002. A long process of evidence based action and decision making followed:

• In 2002 Ikbol and the Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan signed an agreement of mutual cooperation.
  
• Between 2002 and 2004, Ikbol trained 768 military servicemen and 165 students of military schools, of which 86% came from rural areas.
  
• Ikbol also trained 40 senior officers in the military schools through the Training of Trainers programme.
  
• In order to support those trainers Ikbol has published and disseminated among senior officers a book on 'Domestic violence and Mitigation'. In 2003 the Ministry made a decision to include this book in military schools' curricula.
  
• In 2004 Ikbol was included into the Governmental Program on Educating the Youth in the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan as one of the implementers and received the first government order to design educational programmes for military schools. The organisation remains one of the implementers of the Ministry's Action Plan for 2005.

Lessons
The main conclusions this case study tells us are the following:

• Governments are more likely to cooperate with CSOs on issues on which they more or less agree. Therefore, it is important for CSOs to construct their strategies considering the government's point of view, thus creating enough incentives for cooperation.
  
• Where straightforward calls on the government to launch reforms did not work, it made more sense to take alternative approaches. In this case, the government was not willing to accept an approach that would openly discredit its 'traditional Uzbek family' views. On the other hand, by focusing on men's perception of human rights and non-violent conflict resolution methods (relevant for the military), they were able to engage in the process.
  
• This type of sideways policy influence process is particularly relevant in the case of authoritarian political systems because government agencies under such regimes are very monolithic and the decisions and policies come only from the top.
  
• This, of course, does not exclude the crucial advocacy and monitoring roles of CSOs.
  
• Innovation and non-conventional solutions to problems are, unfortunately, conditional of the resources that CSOs can rely on.
  

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