OSCE supports roundtable on combating domestic violence in Kazakhstan
An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on the legislation and law enforcement practices regulating police’s work in preventing and combating domestic violence concluded on 30 November 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The event brought together 60 parliamentarians, law enforcement officers, state officials and representatives of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy and civil society.
Participants discussed ways to improve the work of local police in addressing preventing and combating domestic violence, basing on the priorities outlined in the Kazakhstan Concept on Family and Gender Policy for 2030.
Domestic violence experts presented results of their monitoring of community police work in the regions of Kazakhstan. During the six months independent monitors interviewed some 500 community police officers. A separate questionnaire with multiple-choice questions provided space for around approximately 4,000 police officers to submit open answers according to the monitoring objectives.
“Prevention of domestic violence is carried out in a systematic manner in Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan Concept on Family and Gender Policy for 2030 presents a whole chapter on the implementation of the law on the ‘Prevention of domestic violence’. A public body for the monitoring of legislative acts has been created in partnership with NGOs. Overall, the measures taken ensured an annual decrease in the level of domestic violence by an average of ten per cent,” said Aleksey Milyuk, Community Police Co-ordination Manager of the Administrative Police Committee of the Interior Ministry of Kazakhstan. “We believe that such roundtable discussions have helped local law enforcement bodies to explain the new provisions of the law on “Prevention of domestic violence” and to promote its effective implementation.”
Diana Digol, Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, said: “Active co-ordination of social protection agencies, units to protect women from violence and police precinct inspectors is critical in the fight against domestic violence. People’s lives depend upon their level of preparation and the coherence of their actions.”
The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Interior Ministry and Crisis Center Podrugi (Friends). It is part of the Office’s multi-year efforts to assist the host country and civil society representatives in preventing and combating domestic violence and in promoting professional social services to victims and survivors.