Author: Lyudmila Kalashnikova
Mentor: Madina Alimkhanova
Over the past five years, nine women in the West Kazakhstan Region have died at the hands of their violent husbands. Every year, several thousand women turn to the police to report abuse by their spouses, and at least 400 of them seek refuge in Crisis Centres to escape beatings and assaults. However, up to 95% of domestic violence victims return to their abusers, and around 70% reconcile with them in court, often because “children need a father,” “leaving a husband is shameful,” or simply because they have nowhere else to go. Tougher penalties for assaulting wives and children have not yet changed the situation.
Experts point out that beyond helping women through the police and Crisis Centres, it is crucial to provide assistance to the perpetrators themselves. They must undergo compulsory psychological treatment and behavioural correction — a practice already implemented in other countries. Only such measures can truly reduce the number of domestic violence crimes.
*The original article is written in Russian
You can read the full article prepared by the project resident at the following link: https://www.uralskweek.kz/2025/04/11/strong-bet-znachit-bolen-pochemu-v-kazaxstane-nuzhno-vvesti-prinuditelnoe-lechenie-bytovyx-nasilnikov-strong/