Last July, two male staff members at a mental health facility in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, were convicted of repeatedly raping two patients — one of whom was a minor incapable of resistance. Both men were sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay approximately $20,000 in damages to each victim, plus $1,180 in legal fees. The court cited a specific article of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code addressing sexual violence against minors by individuals in positions of authority.
This case is part of a broader, deeply troubling pattern of sexual abuse by medical professionals worldwide. In May, a court in Trondheim...