NODC supported a survey among investigators and prosecutors

According to WHO data for 2018, every fourth Kyrgyz woman at age of 15-49 who was ever married experienced either physical or sexual abuse by her husband or partner, 17% of women experienced such abuse in the last 12 months according to the study, 7% of women experienced physical abuse during pregnancy.

General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, UNODC jointly with the Democratic Processes Research Center assessed the basic services for women subjected to violence, with results  presented at the round table “Implementation of tools to improve the quality of criminal investigations of gender-based violence cases against women and girls “.

Survey outcomes

The main objective of the study - to understand how women survivors of violence evaluate the implementation of law enforcement service standards provided by police and prosecutors, starting from registration to prosecution of GBV cases.  

Survey was conducted within the UNODC project "Promoting effective investigation and prosecution of gender-based violence in the Kyrgyz Republic" with financial support from the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics Trafficking and Law Enforcement (INL).

The findings of the study indicate that during the communication with the victim, investigators allow themselves to express discriminatory statements, degrading the principles of confidentiality and safety of victims. Often investigators did not inform victims on their rights.

The majority of women noted the prosecutor's neutral position on the case, although they all expected him/her to take more active position during the accusation. Women noted that there is a practice to interrogate victims in court, including children, in the presence of the perpetrator.

It is planned that the results of the study will form the basis of training materials and video courses that will be introduced into the educational process of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Prosecutor's Office.

UNODC support

UNODC works with law enforcement and criminal justice authorities to tackle all forms of gender-based violence. Over the years, UNODC has developed a number of global tools to improve access to justice on gender-based violence crimes. This includes effective policing handbooks and related training programs for law enforcement officers, officials, prosecutors, and judges.

UNODC is working with partners to develop guidelines for police officers and prosecutors to improve the quality of investigations; an e-learning module to raise awareness of the responsibilities of police officers and prosecutors in conducting victim-centred investigations of gender-based violence.

UNODC is working in partnership with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to open a “One Stop Center to provide coordinated response to women and girls survivors of violence”, where the victim can receive comprehensive services at one place: legal, police, forensic, and psychological.

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For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko

UNODC ROCA Communication and PR Specialist

+996775987817 WhatsApp

vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org