OSCE presents the first study on violence against women in politics in Kyrgyzstan
On 31 May, the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek held a round table to discuss the results of the study “Violence against Women in Politics in Kyrgyzstan” - the first one ever conducted in the host state. The study was conducted from November 2021 to January 2022 by the non-governmental organization "Agency for Social Technologies", with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The participants of the round table included members of the national parliament of Kyrgyzstan, representatives of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda, civil society and expert communities, international organizations, and national media community.
The research found that women in Kyrgyzstan are not sufficiently protected from this negative phenomenon and face violence at all levels of public and political life.
The results of the study demonstrate that women in politics and/or aspiring to enter local and national politics, are subjected to psychological, emotional, economic and even sexual violence by their family, within their communities, by local villagers, fellow party members, as well as other male candidates.
The study revealed a particularly high prevalence (97 percent) of sexual harassment among women candidates or women politicians in the form of unwanted sexual demands and messages of sexual nature.
Around 32 percent of the interviewed women experienced various forms of psychological violence: threats, humiliation, verbal abuse, blackmail and discrediting in the eyes of the public. Notably, harassments came from both men and other women.
A third of the women interviewed, or 30 percent, faced economic violence in the form of lack of equal access along with men to economic resources and their distribution. An election campaign requires significant funds, and only few women have them.
On the contrary, violence against women politicians is rarely observed in the local media in Kyrgyzstan, with only 6 percent of female respondents confirming they encountered it.
In the participants’ opinion, various forms of violence against women in politics is used specifically to weaken their self-confidence, reduce authority in the public’s eyes, ultimately leading to reluctance on the woman-candidate’s side to campaign and participate in political and public processes.
Nonetheless, these women also confirmed that when faced with acts of violence, their determination to continue campaigning and/or working in the political industry was only strengthened.
“Women shall not be considered as a quota to fill the seats, or as mere statistics. Women should be perceived as an equal and important factor, without which the sustainable development of the country is impossible,” says Rasmiya Kazimova, Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.
The round table also discussed recommendations to better prevent violence against women in politics in Kyrgyzstan, including international research and good practices from across the OSCE region that has been presented by the OSCE/ODIHR.
What is still critically needed, beyond the reforms recommended in this study, is a fundamental shift in how society sees women in government, in politics. So that women are not perceived as just a quota that will fill the seats, or as mere statistics. When women are perceived as an equal and important factor, that means the country is using all available resources towards achieving a sustainable and fair development for all.
The work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek in promoting gender equality in Kyrgyzstan, including women’s equal political participation, is in line with the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, and the UN Security Council resolution #1325 on Women, Peace and Security.