Violence against women and girls is a global issue and a complex phenomenon entrenched in gender stereotypes, discriminatory attitudes, cultural, religious, and traditional norms, as well as state inaction. Since the 1990s, international development aid has been committed to financing and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in Kyrgyzstan, a country that received more aid than any other Central Asian state between 1991 and 2018. Yet, recent shocking cases of 36-year-old Asel Nogoibaeva, whose now ex-husband cut off her ears and nose, or the video of a husband beating and pouring buckets of water on his shaken wife who cried as she stood outside with two car tires hanging from a rope around her neck, and many others, once and again demonstrate that violence against women and girls, domestic violence in particular, is rampant and manifests in various forms in Kyrgyzstan.

Addressing such a complex problem requires a comprehensive, multidimensional response that tackles a range of interconnected issues and engages diverse audiences. This report is a pilot introductory analysis of the current context of gender-based violence (GBV), domestic violence in particular, in rural Kyrgyzstan. In what follows, we first highlight recent developments, both international and governmental, such as programs, projects, or initiatives related to GBV in the country; we then present and analyze case study findings, which consist of 15 interviews with domestic violence survivors from rural areas, and 15 interviews with professionals, including legal advocates, psychologists, healthcare workers, committee members, and law enforcement officials; in the concluding section, we provide recommendations to the state, donor agencies, and civil society organizations in Kyrgyzstan.

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