Keywords
Kazakh customs
traditions and wisdom
violence against women
women’s rights in Kazakhstan
restricted freedoms
personal boundaries
legal prevention of violence
the feminist thought and movement in Kazakhstan
research
challenges
How to Cite
Number of views: 962
Number of downloads: 304
Abstract
Kazakh traditional wisdom says “Kaytyp kelgen kyz zhaman” - a girl who returns to her parental home after marriage is a disgrace to the family. According to a women’s rights organization, up to 5,000 bride kidnapping acts occur annually in contemporary Kazakhstan. The authors would like to approach this socio-cultural phenomenon through considering the current situation of women and their rights in Kazakhstan. The article examines how outdated traditions and customs violate women’s’ personal boundaries and rights in Kazakhstan. Its main purpose is to attract the attention of the reader and potential researcher and to familiarize them with the topic (a specific form of violence against women), research methods, and research challenges. Until September 2019, there was no special legislation in Kazakhstan aimed at combating domestic violence. However, with the adoption of the Law “On the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence” in September 2019, Kazakhstan introduced institutional measures to prevent and punish domestic violence. Nevertheless, people continue to follow their traditional customs, rather than live in accordance with new legislation.
References
Akbergenova J. 2018. “На грани «нормы»: принуждение к браку“ [On the verge of the “norm”: forced marriage]. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Available online at: https://feminita.kz/ (accessed June 15, 2023).
Andersson N., Cockcroft A., Ansari U., Omer K., Ansari N. M., Khan A., & Ubaid Ullah Chaudhry 2010. “Barriers to Disclosing and Reporting Violence Among Women in Pakistan: Findings from a National Household Survey and Focus Group Discussions,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 25(11):1965-1985. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260509354512
Arystanbek A. 2023. “’Can You Beat Your Wife, Yes or No?’: A Study of Hegemonic Femininity in Kazakhstan’s Online Discourses,” East European Politics 39(2):301-320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2021.2024516
Boethius S. & Åkerström M. 2020. “Revealing Hidden Realities: Disclosing Domestic Abuse to Informal Others,” Nordic Journal of Criminology 21(2):186-202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2578983X.2020.1787725
Cook R. J. 1994. “State Responsibility for Violations of Women’s Human Rights,” Harvard Human Rights Journal 7:125-175.
Dimovska M. 2023 (March 13). “Gender-based Violence Does Not Go Away on Its Own, Now Is the Time to Act,” United Nations Developed Program, Uzbekistan. Available online: https://www.undp.org/uzbekistan/blog/gender-based-violence-does-not-go-away-its-own-now-time-act (accessed June 29, 2023).
Doan-Minh S. 2019. “Corrective Rape: An Extreme Manifestation of Discrimination and the State’s Complicity in Sexual Violence,“ Hastings Women’s Law Journal 30(1):167-196. Available online at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hwlj/vol30/iss1/8 (accessed June 29, 2023).
CSCE 2017. “Bride Kidnapping in the Kyrgyz Republic,” CSCE, August 29. Available online at: https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/bride-kidnapping-kyrgyz-republic (accessed October 1, 2023).
Eldes D. 2020. “’Girl Escape’ Is Not a Loss of People!” Executive Summary Kyrgyz Republic, GSPS, October, pp. 29-30.
Flood M. 2015. “Work with Men to End Violence Against Women: A Critical Stocktake,” Culture, Health & Sexuality 17(S2):S159-S176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2015.1070435
Galop 2022. “The Use of Sexual Violence as an Attempt to Convert or Punish the LGBT+ People in the UK,” The LGBT+ Anti Abuse Charity. Available online at: https://galop.org.uk/resource/the-use-of-sexual-violence-as-an-attempt-to-convert-or-punish-lgbt-people-in-the-uk/ (accessed July 15, 2023).
Gaitho W. 2021-2022. “Curing Corrective Rape: Socio-Legal Perspectives on Sexual Violence Against Black Lesbians in South Africa,” William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice 28(2):329-362. Available online at: https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmjowl/vol28/iss2/3 (accessed July 15, 2023).
Human Rights Watch 2011. “’We’ll Show You You’re a Woman’: Violence and Discrimination against Black Lesbians and Transgender Men in South Africa,” 47. Available online at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/world_report_download/hrw_world_report_2020_0.pdf (accessed May 20, 2023).
Isabayeva S. 2023. “Казахские пленницы. Похищение невест: стоит ли с этим бороться и как?“ [Kazakh captives. Bride kidnapping: is it worth fighting it and how?]. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Available online at: https://qmonitor.kz/ (accessed June 30, 2023).
Kiefer T. M. 1974. “Bride Theft and the Abduction of Women among the Tausug of Jolo: Some Cultural and Psychological Factors,” Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society 2(3):123-132.
Kenzheakhmetuly Seit 2010. “Қазақтың салт-дәстүрлері мен әдет-ғұрыптары” [Kazakh traditions and customs]. Available online at: https://atamura.kz/ (accessed June 19, 2023).
Lomazzi V. 2023. “The Cultural Roots of Violence against Women: Individual and Institutional Gender Norms in 12 Countries,” Social Sciences 13(13), 117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030117
Mukhtarkhan A. 2017. “Қыз алып қашу салт па, дерт пе?” [Is it a ritual to get a girl or a disease?]. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Available online at: https://qamshy.kz/ (accessed June 17, 2023).
De Oliveira G. A. 2021. “’Romantics’ with Low Self-Esteem, or Why Crimes against Women Are Committed,” Tengri News of 12 April 2021. Available online at: https://tengrinews.kz/opinion/romantiki-nizkoy-samootsenkoy-pochemu-sovershayutsya-1095/ (accessed June 21, 2023).
Orazbekova A. 2020. “В каких регионах Казахстана чаще воруют невест?” [In which regions of Kazakhstan brides are stolen more often?]. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Available online at: https://newtimes.kz (accessed June 19, 2023).
Mekhdi L. 2023. “Kazakhstan’s Battle Against Bride Kidnapping and Gender Inequality,” The Kaspian Post, September 23. Available online at: https://caspianpost.com/en/post/kazakhstans-battle-against-bride-kidnapping-and-gender-inequality (accessed June 21, 2023).
Nussbaum M. 2000. Women and Human Development. The Capabilities Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511841286
Peek-Asa C., Zwerling C., Young T., Stromquist A. M., Burmeister L. F., & Merchant J. M. 2005. “A Population-based Study of Reporting Patterns and Characteristics of Men Who Abuse Their Female Partners,” Injury Prevention 11:180-185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2004.006247
Pietrowiak S. 2020. “Bride Kidnapping in Northern Kyrgyzstan as the Initial Stage of Subjectivity-forming Process,” Etnografia. Praktyki, Teorie, Doświadczenia 6:155-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26881/etno.2020.6.08
Pyles L. 2008. “The Capabilities Approach and Violence against Women: Implications for Social Development,” International Social Work 51:25-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872807083912
Pyles L. 2010. “Work Experiences of Women Survivors: Insights from the Capabilities Approach,” Feminist Inquiry in Social Work 25(1):43-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109909354984
Ras-Work B. 1999. “Violence against Women as a Traditional Practice,” Tant qu’on a la santé: Les déterminants socio-économiques et culturels de la santé dans les relations sociales entre les femmes et les hommes. Genève: Graduate Institute Publications. Available online at: http://books.openedition.org/iheid/6061 (accessed June 16, 2023).
Sullivan C. M. & Bybee D. I. 1999. “Reducing Violence Using Community-Based Advocacy for Women with Abusive Partners,” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 67(1):43-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.67.1.43
Tavassoli A., Soltani S., Jamali S. M., Ale Ebrahim N. A. 2022. “Research on Violence against Women: Are the Trends Growing?” Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 20(3):425-440. United Nations General Assembly 1993. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4255284
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women Proclaimed by General Assembly Resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993. Available online at: https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.21_declaration%20elimination%20vaw.pdf (accessed August 5, 2023).
Unites Nations 2010. “UN Women. Defining Violence against Women and Girls.” Available online at: https://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/295-defining-violence-against-women-and-girls.html (accessed June 22, 2023).
Weissman D. M. 2023. “Gender Violence as Legacy: To Imagine New Approaches,“ Hastings Journal on Gender and the Law Hastings Journal 34(2):55-72. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4531761
Werner C. 2009. “Bride Abduction in Post-Soviet Central Asia: Marking a Shift Towards Patriarchy through Local Discourses of Shame and Tradition,” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 15(2):314-331. Available online at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20527710 (accessed October 1, 2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2009.01555.x
Young S. D. 2000. “Movies as Equipment for Living: A Developmental Analysis of the Importance of Film in Everyday Life,” Critical Studies in Media Communication 17(4):447-468. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15295030009388413
Zhussipbek G. & Nagayeva Z. 2021. “Human Rights of Daughters-in-Law (kelins) in Central Asia: Harmful Traditional Practices and Structural Oppression,” Central Asia Survey 40(2):222-241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2020.1850423
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Aruzhan Absatar, Botakoz Alishayeva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.