On anniversary of Burulai's murder, Human Rights Watch calls Kyrgyzstan for action to protect women

AKIPRESS.COM - The failure of Kyrgyzstan's government to prevent and punish violence against women and girls leaves them at risk of injury and even death, Human Rights Watch said today, a year after the murder of Burulai inside police station by the man who kidnapped her for forced marriage.
Kyrgyzstan adopted a strengthened Family Violence Law in 2017, but weak enforcement of laws on violence against women and girls leaves them in jeopardy.
Public outcry followed the May 2018 killing of university student Burulai Turdaaly Kyzy, 19, by Mars Bodoshev, 30, who abducted her for forced marriage, a practice known as "bride kidnapping." After Burulai's father reported her abduction - the second time Bodoshev had kidnapped her in two months - police stopped Bodoshev's car and took them to a police station outside the capital, Bishkek. When police left the two in a room alone together, Bodoshev stabbed Burulai multiple times and reportedly carved her initials and those of the fiancé she had intended to marry into her skin. The killing spurred public pressure to tackle bride kidnapping, a practice some in Kyrgyzstan defend as "tradition" and which persists despite criminalization and toughened legislation.
"A year after Burulai's murder, it's outrageous that the government hasn't done everything possible to enforce laws that could save women's and girls' lives," said Hillary Margolis, women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Passing laws is a good first step, but it is far from enough to ensure real protection."
According to available government data, police registered 2,701 cases of domestic violence during the first three months of 2019. Two-thirds of all cases consisted of physical violence, but data on injuries or deaths resulting from domestic violence is missing, as is data on cases of bride kidnapping.
Human Rights Watch conducted research in Kyrgyzstan in April, interviewing 21 staff members of crisis centers and nongovernmental organizations and lawyers representing victims of violence, as well as two government representatives.
In a positive move, a "Code of Misdemeanors" introduced by the government in January 2019 includes a provision criminalizing domestic violence, which had routinely been addressed as an administrative rather than criminal offense. However, Human Rights Watch found that critical legislative gaps remain and authorities are not consistently or effectively enforcing measures to bolster protection for women and girls against violence, including the Family Violence Law and a 2016 law to curb child and forced marriage.
Inadequate enforcement of protection orders in cases of domestic abuse limits their effectiveness, as does uneven enforcement of laws to address bride kidnapping and child and forced marriage. Scarce government support for services for survivors of abuse leaves women and girls without a safety net.
Burulai's killer was sentenced to 20 years while his friend who assisted in the kidnapping was given 7 years. More than 20 police officers were punished, including at least 4 who were dismissed, and 3 who were ordered in April by a court to pay a fine and compensation on grounds of negligence. However, people interviewed said many victims of domestic violence and bride kidnapping do not file complaints, and complaints that are filed often do not result in prosecutions or convictions.