Central Asia: CSO representatives meet in Almaty to discuss ways of combating domestic violence

26.11.2024

Translation of an abridged Russian article published on the azattyq.org website

On 25 November, a Central Asian conference on combating domestic violence to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, was held in Almaty, where representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan discussed legislative measures and joint initiatives to protect women’s rights and reduce violence.

One of the objectives set by the organisers, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Kazakhstan, was to share experience among Central Asian countries in developing and implementing programmes to combat domestic violence, drawing on successful international practices, including establishing national social, psychological and legal support systems.

During the panel session, speakers from participating States highlighted the efforts being made in their own countries to deal with the problem but stressed that more needed to be done. Among the legal issues common to all these States that require urgent action were: criminalising domestic violence, addressing the impact of patriarchal and stereotypical influences on victims of abuse (where women don’t seek help for fear of bringing “dishonour” to their family), that leads to the gaslighting of victims of violence, gaps in legislation, and little action taken against the aggressor which allows them to reoffend.

In summary, conference participants acknowledged that domestic violence remains a chronic problem in Central Asian countries, despite efforts by individual States to combat the phenomenon. Differences in legislative measures and law enforcement practices underscore the need for international cooperation and the sharing of best practice in developing effective ways of tackling the issue in the region.

A law to strengthen the protection of women and children from abuse was adopted in Kazakhstan in April this year. In 2023, more than 99,000 reports of domestic violence were recorded in the country, which reinforces the need for such measures.

According to Zulfiya Baysakova, Head of the Union of Crisis Centres, 4.5 billion tenge has been earmarked for the prevention of domestic violence in Kazakhstan, 705 million of which will be allocated to support crisis centres that offer social services. There are currently 48 such centres in the country, 31 of which are run by CSOs.

The Social Code, which comes into effect from 1 January next year, will require all organisations that provide medical and social services to be licensed. However, Baysakova has warned that some centres may be ineligible, for example, due to the small square footage of their premises. Human rights activists fear that domestic abuse victims will be left on the street, or choose not to seek help.

Uzbekistan criminalised domestic abuse in April last year, during which 9,131 individuals were prosecuted for violence-related offences. 4,477 people received convictions in the first three months of 2024 alone.

Tajikistan, as noted in a report produced by human rights activists, is taking major steps to address this problem. According to UN data, one in three women in the country suffered abuse at the hands of their partner in 2023, which emphasises the importance of continuing with this work and the further development of protection mechanisms.

Kyrgyzstan became the first Central Asian country to criminalise domestic violence back in 2017. In 2023, 13,104 cases of abuse were recorded, 95% of which involved female victims. This highlights the importance of law enforcement and protective measures, with the country currently in the process of strengthening its support systems, say experts.

Source: https://rus.azattyq.org/a/33215985.html