OSCE supports international conference on development of crisis centres to strengthen responses to domestic violence in Kazakhstan

The prevention of domestic violence was the focus of the international conference on the development of crisis centres for victims of domestic violence which concluded on 7 December 2018 in Astana.

The two-day event was jointly organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (National Commission), UN Women, the UN’s Population Fund and the UN Development Programme.

It gathered some 150 members of the country’s parliament, the National Commission, law enforcement bodies and heads of the crisis centres from all the regions, as well as representatives of the national and local government, international organizations and experts from Austria, Germany, Montenegro, Romania and the United States of America.

Participants discussed best practices in preventing domestic violence and protecting victims, effective measures to tackle violence against women and girls, problems concerning the inter-agency response to domestic violence, and the activities of the crisis centres.

“We have achieved tremendous results in promoting gender equality and eliminating all forms of violence against women, and have formed our own model of family and gender policy as one of the key factors to combat violence against women,” said Yelena Tarasenko, the Deputy Head of the National Commission.

György Szabó, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, said: “In an effort to advance gender equality, the OSCE launched in 2012 the MenEngage Network which seeks to raise awareness of the influence men can have in ending gender-based violence and speaking out against all kinds of inequality.”

Zhanat Omarbekova, a member of the Committee for Social and Cultural Development of Mazhilis (lower chamber) of the country’s parliament, said: “We need to study the domestic violence-related issues in detail and, in order to address them, co-operation with non-governmental organization is required.”

The event was part of the Programme Office’s multi-year efforts to assist the host country and civil society in preventing and combating domestic violence.