Kyrgyzstan ratifies ILO Violence and Harassment Convention
Kyrgyzstan has ratified the International Labor Organization Violence and Harassment Convention, the first country that has done so in the CIS region, the 24.kg website reported, citing Jyldyz Polotova, deputy minister of labor of Kyrgyzstan.
According to the International Trade Union Confederation, about 40% to 50% of workers report violence or harassment at work throughout the world. The Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges says that its survey has shown that one in four women has suffered from violence and harassment at work or during their studies at university.
«This can be a source of problems such as depression and unemployment or have other negative consequences. Unfortunately, we have no effective mechanisms for protecting women in the world of work,» Polotova said.
However, she explained that the ratification of the convention will require the government to amend some of its legislation to authorize labor inspectors to investigate complaints of violence and harassment at work.
In Kazakhstan, according to the UN Development Program, 62.2% of men and 64.9% of women reported harassment at work. At the same time, every fifth respondent in the Turkestan region doesn’t mind a male being violent toward a woman; every fourth in the Kyzylorda region and every third in the East Kazakhstan region hold the same opinion. In the city of Shymkent, more than half of respondents said that men have the right to offend, intimidate, and harass women in specific situations.
In February 2024, MPs of the Mazhilis of Kazakhstan’s parliament approved a draft law that entails stricter legal punishments for people involved in domestic violence. If the Senate and the president approve the document, domestic violence as a type of crime will be transferred from the Administrative Code to the Criminal Code of the country. These amendments are also related to pedophiles and child murderers who will serve the only punishment of a life sentence. They will have no right to appeal for amnesty or be free of punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
