Kyrgyzstan: how MPs exposed a systemic problem of violence against minors
Jane Doe-Kyrgyz style: How a female MP’s words exposed a systemic problem of violence against minors
09.10.2026
Article published on the kloop.kg website
Dozens of Kyrgyz men and women have been sharing stories on social media about how they were sexually abused during childhood and adolescence. Meanwhile, members of the Kyrgyz parliament have been discussing criminal punishment for those accused of sexual assault against underage children for more than two weeks.
It all began with the MP Aisara Abdibayeva, who stated during a parliamentary session that the current penalties for those who commit sex crimes were “too harsh”. She asked whether prison sentences for men could be reduced if they were unaware of the victim’s age.
“Young girls say “I’m 18 or 19” but their ID shows they are a minor. How can we be sure? If young men knew the girls were underage, they would not have done what they did. If they had committed such an act without knowing the girl was a minor, the court would have had a chance to acquit them”, said Abdibayeva.
The MP also stated that “our future is ending up in prison” because of amendments that were made to the National Criminal Code two years ago that prohibit the dismissal of cases if both parties have reconciled .
“They (the victims) are minors and we have boys who unwittingly got involved and went astray. We now have young children in prison. Who is responsible for their plight? Who will protect their rights? Yes, we must protect girls but we have to do the same for all our children”, she said.
Later in a parliament press release, the MP reported that she had received complaints from the parents of men between 19 and 25 years of age, who had allegedly been falsely convicted of sexual abuse of a minor. This led to her suggesting reducing the punishment for such crimes – her statement is no longer available on the Kyrgyz parliament website.
Following fierce criticism on social media and a petition calling for her to be removed as an MP, Abdibayeva again revised her position on the issue.
“I did not suggest imposing a suspended sentence on a convicted paedophile, or someone who has committed a sex crime, neither did I propose reducing their sentence. As a woman and a mother, I could never do that. Perpetrators must receive the appropriate punishment for their unlawful actions”, she now says.
Abdibayeva isn’t the only one who has spoken of the “harshness” and alleged injustice of the legal system against those who sexually abuse minors. The MP, Sovetbek Rustambek, agreed with her and proposed punishing girls who lie about their age.
“How many young men have been sentenced because of this? If the lads were deliberately set up, then the girls must be accountable too. We need to draft a bill to address this”, said Rustambek.
Meanwhile, on the streets of Bishkek where peaceful gatherings are often banned, a rally was held during which those who have been found guilty of sexual abuse, or for having had sex with underage girls, were once again referred to as “our poor children”. Instead, blame was put on the girls who had been victimised, with claims that 90% of cases were “set-ups”.
Every man must control his genitals
“The punishment for rape must remain unchanged. We all have sons and daughters. We have laws in this country which means that offenders must receive the full sentence prescribed by the courts for their actions. Paedophilia is an act against a person’s will so the perpetrators must be held accountable under the law”, said the MP Ilimbek Kubanychbekov, as quoted by Azattyk.
His colleague, Dastan Bekeshev, explained that, like Abdibayeva, he too had been approached by relatives of suspects and defendants, but in his opinion their views cannot be used to justify a reduced sentence.
“When it comes to sexual abuse, every man must control his genitals. “I didn’t know how old she was”, “I didn’t see her ID”, “Why should I ask?” – these are all excuses”, said the MP.
Human rights activist, Nazgul Turdubekova, who regularly defends underage victims of sexual violence, is outraged by attempts to blame the child who has been victimised.
“What is particularly worrying are efforts to mitigate an offender’s liability on the grounds that the girl supposedly concealed her age, looked older or failed to disclose their ID to an adult, which effectively shifts responsibility for criminal behaviour from the adult to the child themselves. A child cannot be blamed for a crime committed against them by an adult”, she argues.
Turdubekova insists that we must never allow a situation in which a child who has been subjected to sexual abuse finds themselves in a “dock of morality” and forced to explain why they “looked older”.
Jane Doe
All this is taking place against a backdrop of an extensive social media campaign in which men, women, boys and girls, are sharing stories of how they were the victims of sexual violence, including Kyrgyzstanis.
“The number of anonymous posters from Kyrgyzstan who are writing about childhood sexual abuse is horrifying. I want to appeal to the parents – situations vary, but please, don’t abandon your children – girls and boys. Boys are posting too”.
“Many have experienced these crimes and what they are saying is shocking – some 4, 5 and 6 years of age. We tend to think that this only affects girls, but boys are posting anonymously too. A lot of parents forbid their children to talk about it, telling them “to keep quiet”. The trauma stays with women and men for the rest of their lives”, said the MP, Elvira Surabaldieva.
Flash Mob participants often speak about violence or the harassment they have suffered at the hands of loved-ones. In 2021, the Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior reported that 80% of children who had been victims of sexual violence had been abused by friends and relatives.
Deputy Minister of the Interior, Erkebek Ashirkhodzhaev, reported that 266 criminal cases involving sexual abuse of a minor were recorded in the first eight months of this year. Of these, 228 have been referred to the courts, a further 30 are currently under investigation and one has been dismissed.
It is not uncommon in Kyrgyzstan for victims to be blamed for what has happened to them. In 2022 during discussions about the rape and murder of 14-year-old Aidai Kochkorova in the Batken region, the MP Akbokon Tashtanbekov claimed that some schoolgirls wear clothes that are much too short which, in his view, encourages rape.
“The clothes of some schoolgirls are too revealing which I think can sometimes be very provocative. The ordinary person walking by wouldn’t notice, but paedophiles do and then stalk their victim. Parents, teachers and the wider community – anyone who’s affected by this problem – must tackle it, not just through the law, but within society itself, starting with short skirts and going so far as having the local police visiting families to check what everybody’s up to in order to prevent such incidents from happening and to ensure that girls don’t get into strangers’ cars”, said the MP.
In 2019 and 2020, a court heard another high-profile case involving the systematic abuse of a 13-year-old schoolgirl in the Issyk-Kul region. At the time, the relatives of the three defendants blamed the girl for what was done to her, claiming that she had “seduced” the accused, then subjected the girl and her family to a campaign of harassment.
On first hearing what had happened, the girl’s relatives immediately contacted the police. The officer in charge of the investigation suggested that the family accept money from the accused and threatened that, if they continued to fight the case, their daughter “would be shamed in front of the whole village”.
In 2020, Sabyr Soodonbekov, a judge at Ton District Court, acquitted two of the defendants and sentenced the third to seven and a half years in prison. The judge said that he had “acted based on his own inner conviction”.
However, the ensuing media attention and complaints lodged against the judge by the victim’s lawyer, Aisulu Mamasheva, led to a review of the case. The Issyk-Kul Regional Court subsequently found all three guilty of raping the girl, with two sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and the third to 20 years.
