Violence against women in Kazakhstan CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Scope of problem Half of the women surveyed are said to have been exposed to violence. Every fifth respondent had been beaten. Every seventh woman surveyed had been robbed and every thirtieth had been raped. One third of women-respondents was a victim of physical violence in 1999. More than a half of the instances of physical violence against women were committed in public places (in the street, market or public transport). In response, some victims did nothing, others actively resisted. Only 8% appealed to the police for help. 12/27/2018

Scope of domestic violence 28% of married women are exposed to domestic violence. Every sixth married woman suffers from domestic violence at least once every six months. 7% of married women responded: violence committed against them by their husbands was life threatening. Mental disorder - the most common consequence of domestic violence (70% of women who had suffered from domestic violence). Taking into consideration the scope of the problem, there is a need to develop a system to legally protect women from all kinds of violence, including psychological violence. 12/27/2018

Risk factors of violence Alcohol abuse Woman’s education level Type of settlement Woman’s age Allocation of family responsibilities 12/27/2018

Possible Interventions A radical change in society’s attitude towards alcohol abuse Promotion of healthy lifestyles Including promotion of responsible attitude to family duties and responsibilities Introduction of a gender component into the secondary education Specialised governmental agencies in co-operation with NGOs in addition to legal activities should work with the population and monitor risk groups 3. atmosphere of mutual understanding and mutual support in the family. In families where both husband and wife are equally responsible for the housework, manage equally the family budget and make decisions, violence against woman is less likely to occur. 4. The introduction of a gender component into the secondary education system will help society to further change traditional opinions about rights and responsibilities of family members and emphasise the development of human resources irrespective of gender. 12/27/2018

EPILOGUE A SAD STORIES DIARY Results of focus-group discussions From the 15th to 28th of November the Centre of Public Opinion Study conducted 8 focus-group discussions in the following cities of Kazakhstan: Almaty (4), Karaganda (2), Shymkent (2).   The main purposes ·        to determine/estimate the scope of such problem as violence against women; ·        to get women’s definition of the expression “violence against women”; ·        to find out the places, where a woman is exposed to the greatest danger of violence against her; ·        to find out where women go for help in case of violence committed against them; ·        to get a notion of factors contributing to violence against women.

Inequality in the family is also violence. I was married, and my husband, coming back home from work, wanted me to look after him. He pretended not to notice that I was at work as well and that I might be tired as well. Inequality in the family is also violence. 12/27/2018

I was married twice. My first husband drank a lot and I divorced him I was married twice. My first husband drank a lot and I divorced him. My second husband did not drink, but coming home from work he did nothing but lay down on the sofa doing nothing. One time we need a nail hammered in. I ask him to do it and he said in response: “You do it since you need it”. 12/27/2018

The conflicts occur primarily because I am working but my husband is not. For instance, the Kazakhs have a proverb, which says that “the man is the head, the woman is the neck". And if I do not push my husband, he will not manage to do anything, which means that I am held guilty for the fact that my husband does not have a job. 12/27/2018

If not to take Almaty way of upbringing, but the Shymkent or Zhambul way, inequality there might be better seen, but in Almaty people are more civilised, better educated, and more democratic. And violence against women here is less noticeable. I have an example of a young man from Almaty who went to Shymkent to choose a girl and to get married, since women there are more complaisant, and that was exactly what he wanted. Of course, why does he need a woman who has her own opinion? Inequality and, therefore, favourable condition for violence is more common to the south, where traditions are better preserved and followed. Shymkent is one of such cities in the south. 12/27/2018

The most common outcome in the conditions of economic crisis is degradation of a man, when he ceases fulfilling any responsibility for himself, his family and his children but at the same time exercises his physical and moral superiority (caused by traditions). Unfortunately such cases more and more often take place. 12/27/2018

As has already been noted, in the current economy men appear to be weaker than women. Women’s responsibility for taking care of a family constantly keeps them in shape. Alcohol becomes a way for men who feel unstable to escape. Constant reproaches of doing nothing bring out estrangement of spouses and finally end with violence. Traditional inequality was aggravated by such risk factors as wide spread alcohol abuse, which in turn frequently leads to physical violence against women. 12/27/2018