Women-politicians face all forms of violence in Kyrgyzstan. Rasmiya Kazimova, Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, announced at a round table following results of a study «Violence against Women in Politics.»
According to her, women in Kyrgyzstan are not sufficiently protected from violence.
«According to the study, women confirm that they are subjected to psychological, emotional, economic and even sexual violence both in the family and within their communities by fellow villagers, fellow party members, and other male candidates. Basically, the purpose of the use of violence against women in politics is weakening of self-confidence, reducing authority in the eyes of society, which should lead to a reluctance to be elected and participate in political and public processes,» she said.
A significant number of women, faced with acts of violence, feel determined to continue their work as an MP.
Rasmiya Kazimova
«What is still critically needed, beyond the reforms recommended in this study report, is a fundamental shift in how society views women in government and politics. So that women are not perceived as a quota that will fill the seats, or as statistics. Women should be perceived as an equal and important factor, without which the sustainable development of the country is impossible,» she said.
The Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek said that women in the political industry are subjected to violence in many countries.
«For example, during a survey of women-parliament members in European parliaments, 85.2 percent of surveyed said they had been subjected to psychological violence, 58.2 percent — to sexist attacks on social networks,» she explained.
