Paper abstract:

The study intended to determine the alcohol drinking behavior and factors influencing to it among adult males using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). It was analyzed 800 adult males’ data, for the 2020-2021, living in the west regions of Uzbekistan. Implementation of SOP for primary healthcare doctors will contribute in early screening among population in risk.

The research focused on study the alcohol drinking behavior among Uzbek male cohort using AUDIT tool. The findings showed that social background and age-specific characteristics of the sample significantly impact the cohort’s alcohol consumption behavior. The AUDIT tool has been developed by the WHO and evaluates excessive alcohol drinking risks serving as a screening test. It has three domains: low-risk dependence (0-7), moderate-risk (8-15) and high-risk dependence (16 and above). Low- and moderate-risk dependences can be managed with reduction of risk factors, whereas the high-risk alcohol dependence requests to seek medical specialist consultation.

Analysis of the epidemiology of alcohol consumption in the study showed that its prevalence was 67,6%, from which 17,7% with high-risk alcohol consumption, 58,0% moderate-risk and 24,3% with low-risk. Study of age and social characteristics of alcohol consumers revealed that most of them were persons in middle-age (40-49 years old) – 38,6%, with secondary education (vocational) – 64,3%, workers of service provision and trade – 57,7%, and who was married – 90,6%.

The study suggests that middle-aged (40-59 years old) and married males with the secondary education level working in the service delivery and trade are mostly vulnerable to high-risk drinking pattern. Such factors should be considered in development preventive measures and policy-based interventions to reduce the high-risk pattern among population. Development of Standard Operational Procedures for family doctors in primary healthcare level, using the AUDIT tool, will contribute in early detection of population in moderate and high-risk of alcohol consumption and decrease its progress and complications.

Paper abstract:

Uzbekistan’s first law targeting violence against women (2019) appears against the backdrop of decades of understudied resistance and struggle on the part of non-state actors, such as activists, survivors and volunteer organizers. This article draws on fieldwork, interviews and content analysis to offer examples of these continuing grassroots struggles. We situate, discuss and analyse three prevalent strategies of ‘exit’ and ‘voice’ – protest in the act of self-immolation, seeking out shelter and participation in consciousness-raising – that are variously employed by women in contemporary Uzbekistan to combat their experiences with domestic and gender violence. We frame these cases in the context of the past politicization(s) of women’s bodies and read them as portals to two examples of collective self-organizing in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – an old grassroots women’s shelter and a new digital counterpublic – calling attention to the complicated role played by privileged actors that shield such parallel and collectivized initiatives from encroachments by the state.

Paper abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a surge in domestic violence globally, resulting in soaring demand for domestic violence services, a phenomenon termed a ‘shadow pandemic’ or ‘double pandemic’. This study focused on how the pandemic impacted the prevalence of domestic violence and service provision to women experiencing domestic violence in Kazakhstan from the perspectives of social care professionals. According to the UN Women’s Fund, about 400 women in Kazakhstan die from domestic violence every year. In 2017, Kazakhstan decriminalised domestic violence on the assumption that this would decrease instances of domestic violence. However, domestic violence against women and children has increased annually, even though many crimes remain unreported. The study used a sequential mixed methods design involving a survey of 40 professionals from different social care organisations to gain a broader understanding of the issues and then conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 professionals to explore the survey findings in more detail. The analysis revealed that whereas the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown suspended the work of many organisations in the country, the workload of the professionals increased significantly. Shelters were full and the hotline worked 24/7. Social workers reported that although the profiles of women seeking service varied, most victims were mothers and had socio-economic problems in families. However, the services were hard to access for victims from rural areas because crisis centres were located only in cities, and access to services was restricted by the block posts. Moreover, due to regulations of some crisis centres, shelters were not available for all victims–women who did not want to report to the police were not accepted by state-owned crisis centres. Participating professionals had to support domestic violence victims under tremendous challenges during the lockdown, including inadequate support from the government. Most professionals felt that the laws adopted to protect the rights of domestic violence victims were not effective, leaving them to fight for women victims themselves. The findings also show that the situation with domestic violence in Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 and beyond is aligned with the experiences reported in other contexts, but it was complicated by the existing concept of “Uyat” (translated from Kazakh as “shame”) and the place of women in the society. Even when the anti-epidemic measures were removed, the participants believed domestic violence instances were not decreasing. Given the high rate of domestic violence, they suggested the government should strengthen the work on domestic violence prevention.

Paper abstract:

The Spotlight Initiative (SI) is a new global, multi-year initiative launched by the European Union (EU) in cooperation with the United Nations (UN), with the aim of eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) worldwide. Since 2019, Spotlight has been implemented in Kyrgyzstan, where more than 6.5 million US dollars have been allocated to recipient UN Organizations such as UN Women, UNDP, UNPFA, UNICEF and UNODC for the conduct of activities across the initiative’s six outcome areas. This paper firstly familiarizes the reader with the phenomenon of domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan and with the major legal and institutional barriers hindering access to justice on behalf of female victims of domestic violence. It then examines how the SI has sought to improve access to justice on behalf of female victims of domestic violence by stimulating ownership of an array of state and non-state actors engaged in addressing domestic violence from a legal and institutional perspective. The research uses a mixed-method approach, combining a legal analysis of national legislation, an analysis of 280 legal cases on domestic violence, and expert interviews with implementers of the Initiative, as well as policy and legal experts, lawyers and civil society activists engaged in the field of VAWG. The study provides recommendations on how to improve the national legislation concerning domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan as well as the implementation of the Spotlight Initiative in the country and beyond.