Abstract

Femicide, the gender-based killing of women, remains largely invisible in Kazakhstan, where legislation does not recognize it as a distinct crime. Despite high rates of domestic violence and gender-based killings—estimated at 400 female victims annually—media coverage frequently fails to frame these murders as a social issue rooted in gender inequality, cultural norms, and systemic injustice. This study examines how femicide is represented in Kazakhstani news media. Funded by UN Women ECA as part of the “Women Count” project, the research combines quantitative web scraping method and qualitative discourse analysis to address the absence of official data and proper media representation.

The study builds a database of 106 femicide cases from 4,000 articles published on the leading online news portal Tengrinews.kz between 2018 and 2023. Descriptive statistics reveal that most femicides occur in enclosed urban spaces, predominantly in victims’ homes, and involve male perpetrators aged 21–40. Intimate partners account for the largest proportion of perpetrators, followed by acquaintances and family members, highlighting the relevance of domestic and familial contexts. Common methods of killing include stabbing, beating, and strangling. More than half of the female victims had children, yet protective measures were rarely documented.

Critical discourse analysis of 48 cases demonstrates consistent patterns in news coverage. Femicide is often unnamed, with reports foregrounding perpetrators while minimizing victims’ lives and agency. News articles frequently justify the murderer, dramatize the crime, and prioritize third-party perspectives, reflecting implicit biases and reinforcing cultural norms that normalize gendered violence. Victim-centered reporting, while present, remains rare.

The findings underscore the urgent need for legal recognition of femicide in Kazakhstan, systematic data collection, and responsible media practices that foreground victims and contextualize murders within broader gender inequality. The study contributes to the limited literature on Central Asian femicide, revealing regional patterns, such as multigenerational family dynamics, that shape perpetrator-victim relationships. By highlighting both quantitative trends and qualitative framing, this research informs policy interventions, media guidelines, and public awareness efforts aimed at preventing femicide and addressing systemic gender-based violence in Kazakhstan.