Kazakhstan

Violence and Sex Trafficking

The status of women in Kazakhstan has decreased in large part due to the economic stagnation after the fall of the Soviet Union. While women have equal rights under the law, the reemergence of old gender ideas and the capitalist economy have undermined the status of women.

The end of communism also meant the end of government childcare and state-run businesses which hired women. In the new market economy, women earn a third less than men on average. Increased childcare costs and decreased wages have plunged women into poverty. Women have tried to redefine their economic lives, and now make up 80 percent of the country's market vendors. Women made up 46 percent of the overall labor force, primarily in healthcare and social services, or traditionally pink collar jobs. While women have equal access to education, they are limited in their economic opportunities.

Violence against women is a national problem. While Kazakhstan adopted domestic violence laws in 1999, which included an action plan on improving the status of women, there is little enforcement in place. The nation has criminalized rape in all forms, including spousal rape; however, the United Nations estimates that 60 percent of women experience some form of domestic violence. The Commission on Gender Issues has estimated that more than 30,000 women file complaints each year, but that 40 percent of domestic violence cases were unreported.

Violence and poverty contribute to increased prostitution, sexual harassment and sex trafficking, all of which have become serious problems. Young women are pressured to enter the sex trade because of severe [Page 811]poverty and orphans are kidnapped or forced into prostitution. The Kazakhstan sex trade has been growing over the last two decades.

The transition to capitalism and subsequent economic collapse have negatively impacted the status of women. Poverty has increased the sex trade and violence against women. While laws to protect women exist, there is no enforcement. However, Kazakhstan did adopt the United Nation's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and has developed a plan to address women's issues.