Kazakh women criticise president for comments against women
Kazakh women criticise the country’s President for comments against women
13.09.2025
Article published on the rus.azattyq.org website
Kazakh women have criticised the President for his comments about women who allegedly cause public disorder. Women are openly expressing their anger and accusing the head of State of misogyny.
In his state of the nation address this week Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said that confrontations in public places that escalate into fights are unacceptable and condemned people who engage in such acts.
“Unfortunately, among this group are women who indulge in scandalous behaviour, use foul language and commit lewd acts in public. Such actions are unacceptable in a cultured and civilised society which damage the country’s reputation on the international stage”, said Tokayev.
Dina Smailova, a human rights activist and head of the NeMolchi (Don’t Be Silent) charity, which is involved in the issue of gender-based violence in the country, said that the President’s words in the context of his annual address can be seen as a call to action. “And now when it’s said that any violence or aggression directed at women is as a result of their “scandalous behaviour”, what they are really doing is telling us to shut up, keep quiet and behave ourselves as we’re tarnishing the nation’s image”.
The President’s statement has outraged and shocked Kazakh women, which is evident from the growing number of posts on social media. After the initial wave of anger, the text of the address was amended on the official Arkoda Telegram channel, with softer wording used when referring to the remark of “scandalous women”. But this wasn’t enough to stop the criticism.
The Arkoda press service later sought to clarify Tokayev’s words. Officials were still trying to insist that “the President was not criticising women but rather issuing a broader appeal to all the country’s citizens, regardless of gender, race or background, to restore a culture of respect and to reject rudeness and aggression. Such incidents should not become part of our mentality”.
Listening to the excuses offered by the Government, women are increasingly convinced that they understood the President’s words all too clearly and Smailova explained why. In her opinion, Kazakhstan’s achievements in gender equality and in protecting women’s rights exist only on paper.
“Nothing has changed. We have legislation on the statute books, such as the Saltanat Law, but criminal liability is purely procedural. Things have got worse and I’m seeing a lot of men in power who are questioning whether violence is really such a big problem”, she said.
According to Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, the police receive more than 300 reports of domestic violence every day. However, the overall statistics do not take account of cases where women are too afraid to seek help and who continue to endure abuse from domestic bullies. Nastoyashchee Vremya estimates that one in four murders take place within the family at the hands of partners or relatives.
