Her last name is famous.
But Rozetta Aitmatova never thought about it - dignity, integrity, and honor were too hard-won from harsh circumstances...
- In childhood, - she says, - we fully experienced hardship, having lived through what it means to be the family of a repressed "enemy of the people".
Nagima and Torekul Aitmatov are representatives of the first generation of Kyrgyz intelligentsia, but being at the forefront, on the steep "routes" of history is not easy.
- We knew about our father, - recalls Rozetta Aitmatova, - from our mother's stories.
Nagima, having been left alone early with four children, provided them with a wonderful education. Lyutsiya was among the first graduates of the energy faculty of the Frunze Polytechnic Institute. Ilgiz, formerly the president of the National Academy of Sciences, today heads the Institute of Physics and Mechanics of Rocks of the National Academy of Sciences. Chingiz is a genius, a world-renowned writer, a prominent public figure, and an outstanding diplomat.
Rozetta, having graduated from the Kyrgyz Women's Pedagogical Institute, became a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, an associate professor at this institute, and a distinguished worker in education of the Kyrgyz Republic. At one time, she had to travel extensively to the peripheral regions of the republic, inviting girls, "captives" of patriarchal norms, to study. In the 90s, she became one of the most authoritative leaders of the women's movement in independent Kyrgyzstan.
"Women in Development," the International Charitable Foundation "Meerim," the "Ene" Foundation... A wealth of experience in the civil sector.
The public organization "Center for Women's Assistance," which Rozetta Aitmatova founded with her like-minded colleagues in 1996, laid the foundation for a whole series of women's NGOs. In addition to more than two hundred scientific and methodological articles on pedagogical issues, she authored manuals such as "Democracy, Tender, and Women's Rights," "Gender School in Kyrgyzstan," and "Gender Aspects of HIV/AIDS," which have already become classics in the field on this relevant topic. Aitmatova believes that restoring gender balance in the country is a meticulous, delicate job, as gender balance protects the rights of both women and men.
The "Center for Women's Assistance," with the support of the "Eurasia," "Soros-Kyrgyzstan," the Democratic Commission of the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, GTZ, "Action of Churches" (Netherlands), and the European Union, conducts extensive preventive work: this includes training seminars on women's rights, reproductive health, management, and agribusiness. Recently, the protection of the rights of Kyrgyz women working abroad has been on the agenda. A strong advocate for the fight against violence against women in any form, Aitmatova translated into Kyrgyz and published the text of the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Rozetta Torekulovna is a very passionate person, but she makes decisions thoughtfully and reasonably. It is evident that her unique combination of a mathematical mindset, pedagogical experience, and many years of humanitarian activity plays a role. ... Additionally, Rozetta Torekulovna is working on memoirs about her parents, her family, and the difficult yet vibrant times in which she lived and worked.
WOMEN OF KYRGYZSTAN
