Elvira Azimova: Education and economic independence are important tools for combating violence
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On November 28, 2025, a round table dedicated to the international campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” was held in Astana with the participation of representatives of government agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and community leaders.
The event was organized by the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in conjunction with the UN Women Office in Kazakhstan.
In her welcoming address to the roundtable participants, Elvira Azimova, Chair of the Constitutional Court, noted that the global campaign, which has been ongoing since November 25, 2025, is an annual international initiative that draws the world's attention to one of the most pressing problems of modern society: violence against women and girls.
She noted that gender-based violence is recognized by the UN as a widespread and dangerous form of human rights violation against women and girls, posing a threat to their lives and undermining their health, limiting women's participation in economic and social life and, as a result, affecting the development of states and societies.
Azimova noted that in recent years, important steps have been taken in the country, including the introduction of criminal liability for stalking and forced marriage, the expansion of legal protection mechanisms for victims, and the granting of the right to courts to temporarily evict aggressors and refer them to mandatory psychological correction programs.
The infrastructure created to assist victims continues to operate. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, over 70,000 protective orders were issued in the first nine months of this year, and over 6,500 women and children received temporary shelter and protection in crisis centers. In the first seven months of this year, 2,026 criminal offenses in the family and domestic sphere were registered, which is 3.3 times more than in the same period last year. At the same time, the number of serious crimes decreased by 29%.
Currently, women and girls face a new threat in the form of digital violence.
According to the UN, 38% of women worldwide have experienced online abuse, 85% have witnessed it, and over 90% of deepfake content is directed against women and girls.
In 2025, the campaign is being run under the slogan “Let's unite to end digital violence against women and girls” and calls for sustainable investment in violence prevention, digital literacy, and services tailored to the needs of survivors of violence, as well as efforts to create safe and inclusive digital spaces.
Education and support for economic independence remain important tools for combating violence.
These tools were discussed by participants in the Central Asian Dialogue Platform “Women in Justice,” held in September this year at the initiative of Kazakhstan's constitutional control body in Astana, which resulted in agreements on the implementation of the project “Women in Justice and Digitalization” https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ksrk/press/news/details/1066024?contentType=news&lang=en&searchText=%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8B%20%D0%B2%20%D1%81%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%20%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F%20%D0%B8%20%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F&slug=ksrk