Preventing Gender-Based Violence: Recommendations from Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Republic Address Key Issues in Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence
A recent conference in the Kyrgyz Republic showcased the results of the first comprehensive study on prevention, response, and rehabilitation services for Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The study, presented during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, was a joint effort between the U.S. government and the Ministry of Labor, Welfare, and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The study, titled “Study on the Quality of Prevention Efforts and Services Available to Survivors of Gender-based Violence in the Kyrgyz Republic,” shed light on systemic and legislative shortcomings that allow harmful social norms to persist, making it difficult for survivors to access quality support and for perpetrators to be brought to justice.
One of the key findings of the study was the identification of areas for improvement in violence prevention and response services in the Kyrgyz Republic. It pointed out challenges such as unclear agency roles, coordination gaps, and inadequate funding and evaluation procedures. The study also emphasized the importance of adopting the Supreme Court’s resolution to bring clarity to the interpretation of Criminal Code provisions in GBV cases, with the aim of achieving more consistent and fair court verdicts. Despite these limitations, the study highlighted the potential for positive transformations in infrastructure to better support survivors with safe and reliable response services.
In response to these challenges, key recommendations were made to address them. These include strengthening the legal framework, standardizing response procedures and service quality, and addressing harmful social norms through awareness-raising campaigns.
The urgency of addressing GBV in the Kyrgyz Republic was underscored by Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Security, and Migration, Zhanyl Alybaeva, who stated that over 10 months of 2023, 10,416 cases of domestic violence were registered, with 95.7 percent of the victims being women. These figures represented a more than 20 percent increase in domestic violence compared to the previous year, highlighting the pressing need for change in addressing GBV.
In light of the findings, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, Lesslie Viguerie, stressed the importance of a collective effort in addressing gender-based violence, stating that no single person, institution, civil society organization, or government entity can resolve the issue alone. She further expressed the readiness of the U.S. government to partner with the government and people of the Kyrgyz Republic in their efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
The study and the conference have brought attention to the challenges faced in preventing and responding to GBV in the Kyrgyz Republic and have set the stage for collaborative efforts to address these issues in a comprehensive manner.
