3010th Meeting, 93rd Session, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Human Rights Treaty Bodies
Date: 6 October 2026
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/ru/cedaw/3010?lang=en
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

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CEDAW · Chair [0:06]:

I call to order the 3010th meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The Committee will proceed with agenda item 4, consideration of reports submitted by State parties under article 18 of the Convention. Today, the Committee will consider the sixth periodic report of Kazakhstan. I wish to stress that NGO representatives may attend this dialogue as observers without being able to take the floor. NGOs have the right of unhindered access to the Committee. As is the usual procedure for the treaty bodies, individuals or groups of individuals facing intimidation or reprisals for seeking to cooperate or cooperating with the Committee can inform the rapporteur on reprisals and alternate rapporteur of any alleged incident of intimidation or reprisals. Such complaint can be sent electronically to the CEDAW Secretariat. I would like to welcome the distinguished delegation which is headed by His Excellency, Mr. Yevgeny Kochetov, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who will introduce the report. But I also would like to extend a warm welcome to His Excellency, Mr. Erzan Kazihan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations and other international organization in Geneva. Before giving the floor to the head of delegation, I would like to express on behalf of the entire committee and my personal behalf our profound appreciation of our colleague committee member, Mrs. Madina Zharbysynova, who with her strong expertise on women human rights, especially on human trafficking, contributes greatly to the committee's work. It is a privilege to have Madina on our committee. I would like to remind the head of delegation that the introductory statement should not exceed 30 minutes. The delegation is further reminded to allow for full and accurate interpretation of their statement. Participants are requested to speak at a reasonable pace. Excellency, You will have the floor, and if I understood correctly, we will start by a few words of His Excellency, Ambassador, and then move to the head of delegation. Excellency, Mr. Ambassador, you have the floor.


Kazakhstan · Permanent Representative [2:45]:

Good morning. Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished members of the committee, distinguished members of the Secretariat. On behalf of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Geneva, allow me to thank you for the careful preparations and organization of today's review, including the timely resolution of all practical arrangements. At a time when the United Nations must be particularly mindful in planning and using its resources, we greatly value this work. For our part, I would like to assure you that Kazakhstan attaches fundamental importance to its engagement with the United Nations treaty bodies. This is why we considered it's important to ensure that in-person participation of a representative interagency delegation. 17 senior representatives have traveled from Astana, and the delegation is headed by Mr. Evgeny Kochetov, Vice Minister of Information and Culture. A thorough program of preparatory work was carried out jointly with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Early in August, representatives of the Treaty Bodies Branch conducted simulated sessions in our capital for the members of the delegation present in this room today. Separate online training sessions were also organized for experts who will follow today's dialogue from the capital and provide real-time support to members of the official delegation. With these preparations in place, we look forward to today's dialogue. Allow me to wish us all a substantive and constructive exchange. Thank you, Madam Chair.


CEDAW · Chair [4:40]:

Thank you, Excellency. Thank you. And we are also very happy to have you with us and count also on you in pushing support of member states to treaty bodies in your representation as permanent representative of Kazakhstan in Geneva. Thank you very much. Excellency, head of delegation, you have the floor. And you can, if you wish to introduce other members of the delegation, please do.


Speaker 4 [5:10]:

Please.


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister of Culture and Information [5:11]:

Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, Madam Chair, distinguished members of the committee, Your Excellency. It's an honor to present our sixth periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Our delegation includes the leadership and members of the National Commission on Women Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. alongside senior representatives from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, research institute, and expert community. Women account for approximately 51% of the Kazakhstan population. Under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, our country has set an irreversible course toward building a just Kazakhstan, a society where the rule of law, justice, and the inherent dignity of every individual are paramount values. Protecting women's rights, eradicating discrimination, and enforcing zero tolerance for violence have become moral imperatives of the state policy and the cornerstone of our ongoing reforms. The sixth periodic report on the consideration was approved by resolution of the government of Kazakhstan on October 3, 2023. Since its adoption, our country has undergone large-scale constitutional, social, and political transformations. The goal of today's presentation is to transparently highlight the tangible result of these efforts, reaffirm our dedication to the Convention, and of course, outline our vision for future progress. First, formation of unified state policy and straining of the legislative and institutional framework in the interest of women. Kazakhstan's legal system is grounded in the fundamental constitutional principle of equality before the law and the courts. In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, no one shall be subjected to discrimination of any kind based on origin, social, official or property status, gender, race, nationality, language, attitude towards religion, beliefs, place of residence or any other circumstances. In line with Article 1, 2 and 15 of the Convention, this constitutional imperative has been further elaborated across domain-specific legislation. Direct criminal liability for violating equal rights is codified in Article 135 of the Criminal Code. A comprehensive anti-discrimination framework has has been integrated into the labor court, the court on people's health, on the health care system, as well as the laws on the state guarantees of equal rights and equal opportunities for men and women, and on mass media. International treaties ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan form an integral part of its domestic law. The Supreme Court systematically instructs the judiciary to apply international treaties directly. The practical effectiveness of this mechanism is demonstrated the number. Over the past six years, courts in Kazakhstan have issued 1,361 judicial decision directly applying the provisions of the convention. Recommendation from the UN community and other treaty bodies are implemented international policy on a systematic basis. Following the review of the fourth periodic report on the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council, Kazakhstan accepted 259 out of 294 recommendations, 69 of which directly concern women's rights. It's important to know that Kazakhstan as a state have moved from declaration to real action. State guarantees of equality are underpinning a framework of strategic documents, including the updated concept of family and gender policy until 2030, the action plan on human rights and the rule of law, the national action plan implemented UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and the government action plan for 2024 till 2027. The presidential decree approved concept sets key targets. reducing the gender pay gap to 21%, increasing women's asset ownership by 10%, ensuring 30% female representation in decision-making, and at least 10% in this peace and security sector. The institutional infrastructure for protecting women's right operates across both vertical and horizontal dimensions. At the highest level of the state, governance policy coordination is carried out by the National Commission for Women's Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the president. At the regional level, gender advisors serve to regional governors. We call the akims. Within the executive branch, a specialized department for gender policy coordination was established in 2023 under the Ministry of Information, is our minister. Academic and methodological support is provided by the Research Center on Family and Gender Policy, whose analytical report are publicly accessible. To promptly identify and address regional disparities, an interactive map of gender needs has been launched. In partnership with UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, and UNICEF, Kazakhstan is implementing a project to develop gender budget methodologies, foster family woman and girl-friendly workspace policies and prevent mobbing, stalking, and harassment in the workplace. Second, ensuring civil and political rights of women. In compliance with Article 4 and 7 of the Convention, Kazakhstan has transitioned from the declarative policy to effective temporary special measures. A key instrument was the legislative introduction of a mandatory 30% quota for women and youth on candidate lists of political parties for election to the parliament. In Kazakhstan, we call it Kurultai, and local representatives bodies, Maslyhat. This measure yielded direct results during the 2026 elections to the Kurultai. Women secured 39 parliamentary seats. accounting for 33.8 percent of total deputies. This is the highest level in Central Asia. Two women were elected as the deputy chairs of the Kurultai and three out of the eight standing committees of the highest legislative body are headed by women. In local representatives bodies, female representation rose to 22.7%. In public administration, women make up 55% of civil servants, holding 39% of leadership positions. Two women currently head ministers. Women serve as the head of the Constitutional Court and deputy secretary of the Security Council, the highest level in security system in our country. In the judiciary, women account 38.4% of Supreme Court judges and 54.7% of local court judges, while the proportion of female leaders in prosecutorial authorities has increased to 6.3%. In the corporate and quasi-public sector, a requirement to maintain a 30% quota on a board of directors has been approved. Currently, the proportion of female chief executive officers has reached 18.8%, matching the global average. Overall, across SDG 5 indicators, female representation in key political positions in Kazakhstan stood at 39% in 2026, compared to the global average of 27.5%. In line with Article 8 of the Convention, Kazakh women are extending their international presence. In the diplomatic service, four women serve as ambassadors in France, Morocco, Slovakia, and Hungary. One woman leads the Consulate General in San Francisco, and female personnel in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters has reached 30 percent. In the framework of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in Kazakhstan, 9,000 women serve in the armed forces of Kazakhstan. Certified UN standards training for female service members is conducted for the defense ministry's peacekeeping operations center with support UN Women and OSCE. Kazakhstan has enjoyed the UN uniformed gender parity strategy, 90 female military personnel have served in UN peacekeeping mission across Africa and Middle East. Third, promotion of women's economic and social rights. Women's economic independence and social well-being from the foundation of our state sustainability development. Fundamental amendments were made in the Labor Code in 2021. The list of prohibited professions for women was completely abolished. Today, 4.5 million women are employed in the national economy, accounting for 38.5% of the total workforce. Female entrepreneurship has become a driving force of business activity. Women lead 38.2% of small and medium-sized enterprises and represents 50.8% of individual enterprises. Enterprises headed by women have created over 1.5 million jobs in Kazakhstan. In accordance with Articles 11 and 13 of the Convention and within the framework of SDGs 1 and 5, Kazakhstan has achieved a sustained reduction in poverty. The extreme poverty rate in the country has dropped to 0.8 percent compared to 2.5 percent in the Europe and Central Asia region. Social protection is targeted. 90 percent of targeted social assistance recipients of mothers with children. State support includes guaranteed allowance of large family with four or more children regardless of income, the extension of paid childcare leave to one and a half years at 30% of average monthly income for working mothers, and the large-scale National Fund for Children program. which allocates 50% of the national funds investment income in the savings account for children until they reach adulthood. In rural areas, the One Village, One Product program supports female employment, with the rural making up 70% of its participants. In education and science, it's article 10 of the convention, the gender gap has been fully eliminated. Women make up 81.9% of school teachers, 65.7% of university faculty, 51.6% of postgraduate degree holders, 57.5% of master's degrees, 61.7% of PhD candidates, and 55.6% of scientific researchers. In STEM and high-tech sectors, female participation has grown to 46% in telecommunications, 30% in cybersecurity, and 20% in the AACT sector. Women found 23% of the country's tech startups. To bridge academic gaps and assist women returning to research following maternity leave, a dedicated project titled Step into Science was launched in 2025. In healthcare, material mortality has declined by 75% over the past five years. Free screening for cervical and breast cancer has been introduced for women aged 30 to 76, achieving 100% coverage of the target group, regardless of medical insurance status. Preventive checkup coverage for rural women increased from 62% to 81%. Free prenatal care packages have been expanded to include 12 mandatory appointments alongside fetal genetic screening, while victims of domestic violence receive priority medical care without referrals. In family and marital relations, Amendments of Article 30 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan entered into force on July 1, 2026, establishing that marriage is a voluntary and equal union between a man and a woman, registered by the state in accordance with the law and protected by the state. It's very important. Only official marriages registered with the state, civil registry offices, and legally recognized. Religious ceremonies carry no legal effect, and polygamy is structurally prohibited by law. The legal age of marriage is fixed at 18, exceptions allowing a reduction to 16 granted solely in case of verified pregnancy. It's accounting for less than 0.6% of total marriages. Fourth. Measures taken to counter gender stereotypes. Under Article 5 of the Convention, dismantling gender-reducing archaic stereotypes is treated as a cross-cutting educational priority of state policy. An annual national media plan is approved, leveraging broadcasting resources, digital media, and public awareness contracts. In partnership with UN Women and UNESCO, systematic gender audits of school textbooks and educational curricula are conducted, while models on gender-inclusive education have been launched in pedagogical university. Large-scale national awareness campaigns have demonstrated high practical effectiveness. The annual 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign reached over 1.2 million people. Reproductive health week engaging more than 500,000 citizens and campaign against stalking and forced bride kidnapping that reach over 700,000 individuals. And this measure to combat violence against women. In April 2024, Kazakhstan enacted a historical legislative landmark, the law on ensuring women's rights and children's safety, which fundamentally intensified legal accountability for domestic and gender-based violence. These legislative changes have been accompanied by a decline in domestic violence and related offenses. In 2025, 75% of domestic offences were prosecuted under the criminal court, with the grave domestic crimes falling by 11.2% and domestic homicides dropping by 12.8%. In the first half of 2026, domestic offences declined by an additional 7.5%, while domestic homicides fell by 28%. Official reports of domestic violence dropped from 150,500 in 2022 and 63,400 in 2025. Adolescent pregnancy among girls aged 15 to 18 decreased by 37%. Birth rates in this cohort dropped by 45% and abortions fell by 38 percent. Preventing crime and protecting victims represent fundamental pillars of the state policy. Our preventive framework includes 30-day protection orders issued by local police officers and judicial rulings imposing special behavioral requirements on aggressors. More than 31,500 offenders were subjected to administrative detention for up to 25 days. Also, we have deployed the national risk assessment standards for intimate partner violence recidivism. In 2026, 52,000 surveys were conducted, resulting in 1,100 high-risk families being placed under systematic monitoring by Integrity Mobile Response Team. The Ministry of International Affairs operates its centralized domestic violence database, supported by 24/7 national helplines 111 and 150. 31, this crisis center serves victims of violence. On the international stage, it's the initiative of the Republic of Kazakhstan's UN Human Rights Council adopt landmark resolution 57/18, elimination of domestic violence, making the first time domestic violence was formally recognized as the most widespread human rights violation globally. A major breakthrough has been achieved in fulfilling Article 6 of the Convention regarding the suppression of human trafficking. On July 5, 2024, Kazakhstan enacted its special law. In partnership with the International Organization for Migration, a standard operating procedure for victim identification was adopted. In 2025, 164 trafficking offenses were investigated and specialized social services were provided to 188 victims, including 66 women and 22 children. And you also know Kazakhstan executed humanitarian operation Jusan and Jussafa. repatriating 725 citizens, including 188 women and 522 children from armed conflict zones in the Middle East. Madam Chair, distinguished members of the Committee, the progress achieved by Kazakhstan is objectively reflected in global rankings. In the UNDP Human Development Report 2025, Kazakhstan ranks 60th out of 193 nations, maintaining its standing in very high human development group. In the OECD Social Institution and Gender Index, Kazakhstan remains among countries with low levels of gender discrimination. In the WEF Global Gender Gap Index, Kazakhstan achieved an overall gender parity score of 69.8 percent, recording full parity in educational attainment and health. Of course, we don't rest on our achievements and remain fully mindful of the challenges that lie ahead. Government priorities include closing the gender pay gap, increasing women's representation in senior leadership and economic decision-making, advancing gender-responsive budgeting, and so on. The recommendation of the CEDAW Committee save us an additional roadmap of Kazakhstan that comes of today's constructive dialogue. will be fully analyzed to form the core of a new national action plan under the direct auspices of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan stands ready for an open, substantive, and constructive decision. Thank you for your attention. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [27:30]:

Thank you. Thank you very much. On behalf of the Committee, I thank the head of delegation for his introductory statement. I would like to inform the distinguished delegation that the procedure for consideration of periodic reports is for the committee members to ask questions, which are organised largely by clusters and follow the order of the articles of the Convention, and for the delegation to respond to the questions under each cluster. This procedure is followed throughout the two meetings of today, and I would like to remind the delegation that the Committee will aim to complete its dialogue with Kazakhstan by 5:00 p.m. today. The dialogue is being webcasted live on UN Web TV. I wish to draw the delegation's attention to the need for careful time management, and I encourage the delegation to provide precise, short, and direct responses to experts' questions. The head of delegation should indicate when a response cannot be provided. In that case, your delegation should take note of the questions that cannot be answered immediately, and you may request to submit the pending information in writing within 24 hours. one working day from the end of the constructive dialogue. To enable an interactive dialogue, the submission of additional information in writing should be the exception. If the delegation submits additional information in writing within 24 hours, such information should not exceed 1,500 words and should answer the concrete question posed by the expert. Please note that the responses will be published on the CEDAW website for the 93rd session as they form part of the public dialogue. I should also like to indicate that, if necessary, the delegation may be asked to limit its responses due to time considerations. I will now call upon the experts who wish to pose questions under the various articles of the Convention. Experts are also reminded to respect the time limits for questions. Where questions are not sufficiently answered, experts will be given the opportunity to ask follow-up questions for two minutes. We will start with questions relating to articles 1 and 2 of the Convention, and I would like first to give the floor to the country rapporteur, Mr. Elgun Safarov, for articles 1 and 2. You have the floor for six minutes. Thank you.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [30:04]:

Madam Chair, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, kindly turn. Let me warmly welcome His Excellency Mr. Yevgeny Kochetov and His Excellency Mr. Ercan Kazıhan and honourable delegation members. Also, we would like to pay our attention to Madina Jarbussynova, who has written to us On the basis of this experience, Kundipayim Duulaan, men, Muzumkas, Adaldugu, Buu, Juesin, Damnan, Jene, Adam, Kikik, Tarhan, Yelgereleni, Ozundik, Ushbes, Ish Kaldirdi. Thank you very much for Madinajar, Biso, and Sachkain for professional expertise in our committee. As we review the compliance of Kazakhstan with its international obligations, we must address the human rights situation of all women and girls within the state jurisdiction, focusing on the most vulnerable groups. This includes women in detention, drug users, victims of trafficking, rural and disabled women, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, women with HIV, and survivors of gender-based violence, women, LBGTI, and other groups. Today we will discuss pay gaps, social and health protection measures, women representation in decision-making position, traffic and sexual exploitation, nationalities and citizenship, and other different items. Kazakhstan stands at a critical crossroad. The adoption of the new constitution in March 2026 introduces structural challenges for national legislation. Crucially, Article 5 omits the previous explicit guarantee that ratified international treaties take priority over domestic laws, leaving the hierarchy to the ordinary legislation and judicial interpretation. Constitution continues to refer to international law and the role of treaties in judicial enforcement. It will no longer explicitly guarantee the priority of ratified international treaties over national laws, leaving the hierarchy and domestic effect to legislation and judicial interpretation. This reform represents a missed opportunity to explicitly anchor gender equality in supreme law. Furthermore, while the Constitution contains a general non-discrimination clause, several provisions restrict civil, political, economic, and social rights exclusively to citizens. As the CEDAW Committee clarifies in General Recommendation No. 32, excludes non-citizen women and girls from full protection results in direct or indirect discrimination contrary to the Convention. We acknowledge the position legislation steps taken by the state party, the criminalization of forced marriage and stalking in July 2025, the expansion of family support centers and launch of the children of Kazakhstan concept 2026, 2023 commendable. Significantly, the state has updated its legal framework governing digital transformation. Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees personal data protection, supported by the Law on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Code, which entered into force in 2026. However, as an expert, we must emphasize a vital principle: the protection of digital privacy and family confidentiality must never be interpreted as allowing domestic violence beyond the state's scrutiny. Under General Recommendation 19, the state bears a due diligence responsibility to prevent, investigate, punish, and private acts of violence. Notwithstanding these steps, several gaps remain. Domestic violence is still not established as a standalone criminal offense, and definition of rape fails to align with international absence of constant standards. A framework anti-discrimination law has not been adopted yet. Furthermore, serious barriers hinder women's access to justice, which the General Recommendation 33 defines as a fundamental component of substantive equality. Survivors of sexual violence routinely face harmful practices during investigations, including forced reenactments, victim-blaming, and marginalization in the community. Ensuring access to free legal assistance, an effective judicial system, and protection measures is critical for safeguarding the rights and well-being of victims of all forms of violence. Now I will go to the questions. Constitutional coverage. Does the new constitutional framework adequately protect all women with Kazakhstan jurisdiction from discrimination in respect of the nationality, citizenship, and immigration status? Please explain official position why constitution did not cover gender equality and gender-based discrimination directly. We say about the new constitutional reforms. What concrete steps are being taken towards a comprehensive framework in anti-discrimination law? How does the State Party monitor the new constitutional provisions after the application of CEDAW, and what is the exact status of CEDAW Optional Protocol directly going to the constitutional articles 5, 10, 77 of the Constitution? Judicial training. How many trainings was including, especially on CEDAW and Optional Protocol and General Recommendations, and what references for the judicial decisions, especially when we say not just local court systems, but Supreme Court systems, is it included? Legal aid for male experts. What's the total number of sexual violence survivors who received state guaranteed free legal aid? How does a state assess and improve both the quality of accessibility of legal aid for survivors of sexual violence? And when we say about the digital violence, which are very important, especially on the regional level, what happens worldwide, when we say especially cases of cybersecurity, what concrete steps are being taken to criminalize, establish safe reporting measures for cyberbullying, cyber violence, online stalking, and sex explicit effects? I have many questions at this moment, but I will add only one at this moment, which is very important for me and for the CEDAW Committee on the visibility. How many criminal administrative cases registered and proceed investigations through the court system on discrimination grounds of the sex? Thank you very much. Excuse me. Sisgert, Koep, Ahmed.


CEDAW · Chair [36:19]:

Thank you very much, Mr. Safarov. I would like now to give the floor back to the delegation to answer questions under 1 and 2, please.


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister of Culture and Information [36:34]:

First of all,. Colleagues, let me introduce my colleague, Commissioner for Family Rights, Snezhana Emashova. Today, it will be our moderator.


CEDAW · Chair [36:55]:

Thank you.


Kazakhstan · Commissioner for Family Rights [37:10]:

Good morning, distinguished members of the committee. Delighted to greet you today. The head of the delegation will start to answer the questions from Mr. Safarov. Mr. Safarov, in Kazakhstan, we have full legislative basis to combat discrimination. Any form of discrimination is prohibited in the Constitution, and there is a whole list of different grounds. Moreover, a specialised working group to develop full anti-discriminatory legislation has been founded. I head this group, There's a large number of representatives of the non-governmental sector. We know that many of those who wrote the alternative report on Kazakhstan are members of that group. So to say that we're not transparent on this matter would not be correct. So what have we done up until now? We have held seven meetings at this working group. We have drafted a position on a framework law. So the microphone has gone off.


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister of Culture and Information [38:30]:

Excuse me, excuse me.


Kazakhstan · Commissioner for Family Rights [38:32]:

Our position is that... I saw the microphone's gone off again.


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister of Culture and Information [38:47]:

Okay, now. So.


Kazakhstan · Commissioner for Family Rights [38:52]:

The working group. has a position on developing an anti-discrimination act of legislation. That document is currently being discussed in the Government. According to our legislative practice, we start to discuss that in the Government and then in the Parliament. After that, once the ombudsman has established a specialised office on anti-discrimination measures, which also works to examine our proposals and approve them. And then the Constitutional Court of the Republic is already involved in the implementation of the legislation on anti-constitutional matters. Last year, for example, the Constitutional Court submitted a decision on benefits for men who are bringing up children on their own, and they also took a position on men who are on their own and the prohibition for them to adopt children, and that was examined by the Constitutional Court and issued a measure saying that was, a ruling saying that was anti-constitutional. So just to give an example of what we're doing. So now, on international treaties and their status pursuant to the new Constitution, and the representative of the Ministry of the Interior will answer this question.


Kazakhstan [40:37]:

Thank you, Ms. Safar, on your question on the supremacy of international treaties. over national legislation and Kazakhstan's compliance with its international human rights obligations. The constitutional amendments, as you mentioned, do not provide grounds for defaulting on our international obligations, nor do they diminish the legal validity of treaties ratified by Kazakhstan. Pursuant to paragraph 3 of Article 5 of the Constitution, the procedure for applying international treaties within the territory of Kazakhstan is governed by law. And crucially, Article 20-1 of the Law on International Treaties and Article 6 of the Law on Legal Acts explicitly establish that ratified international treaties hold direct precedence over domestic legislation. Kazakhstan strictly adheres to the fundamental principle of pacta sunt servanda under the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. which is codified in article 20 of our national law on international treaties. Thank you.


Kazakhstan · Commissioner for Family Rights [41:50]:

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the representative of the Judicial Administration will add a few words on this matter.


Kazakhstan [42:13]:

We need the microphone again, please. There is no sound coming through.


Speaker 19 [42:27]:

Well, if a law.


Kazakhstan [42:34]:

Violates constitutional order, then the court has to address the Constitutional Court, and the Ombudsman has the right to address the Constitutional Court directly, as at 2024, the Constitutional Court It calls for a change to the law on the Family Act that is pursuant to article 16 of the convention, and it considers general recommendations 33 and 35 of the committee on the status of international treaties. As of 2016, we have seen that courts have referred to the acts of an international nature in over 1,200,000 cases or almost 1,200,000 cases. Thank you.


Kazakhstan · Commissioner for Family Rights [43:32]:

Then on statistics on victims of domestic violence and legal assistance, the representative of the Ministry of Justice and of the Prosecutor's Office in the Ministry of the Interior will answer this. Please introduce yourselves when you take the floor to answer questions.


Kazakhstan [43:52]:

Good morning.

I represent the Ministry of Justice. A law was adopted in 2022 to expand the scope of those qualified to receive legal aid, including victims of violence. If we look at statistics, so state legal aid is guaranteed as of 2022 to 2024. 1,800 women received legal assistance. And then on domestic violence, we saw information registered on different cases and the criminal cases which have been brought, about 1,920. The presentation of the General Prosecutor's Office. Pursuant to statistics from 2022, we've seen a drop in cases of domestic violence. And this on all kinds of crimes, we have seen a drop of some 20%. In addition, we've seen an increase in crimes of 14% for especially grave crimes, including intentional cause of intentional violence and moderate cases have increased by 7%. I'd like to add, colleagues, to what colleagues have said. on the legal assistance which is provided to victims of sexual violence. Pursuant to the law, state legal aid is guaranteed, and the state must provide free legal assistance to all victims of violence. If they do not have a lawyer, then they're going to pay for it themselves, then the state will pay for it, and there's also a victims fund all victims of sexual violence receive assistance from this victims fund. Then, together with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Health are carrying out a pilot project, which is called Protection. The essence of this project is that if a woman has suffered from sexual violence, then they do not go to the police unit, they stay in the health unit and medical center, where they are monitored, where they can be cared for, and the legal officers can work with them there, and the lawyers. This is a pilot project that we are currently carrying out. It is being carried out in the capital city at two medical centres. That's what I wanted to add. Then on cyberbullying and digital violence, a colleague from the Ministry of the Interior will answer.

On digital violence against women and girls, we are paying particular attention to this in Kazakhstan. In the Ministry of the Interior, we have created an independent department to combat cyber violence, and there are sub-offices in each region to prevent and to prosecute cases of cyberbullying in Kazakhstan. We are concerned about cyberbullying of a sexual nature pursuant to our laws, and we have taken measures to implement the laws on online information, online advertising. In state bodies, we have identified 81 different internet resources, including some with *********** I have 21 cases of the unlawful dissemination of personal data. On cyberstalking, there are four different criminal offences. There are four cases, sorry. And at four criminal cases on child

Just regarding the protection online in the cyberspace, in our constitution we have implemented a norm according to which it is not just an individual law, but the entire system has to protect people online, because, as we understand, the digital world today is particularly dangerous. When it comes to personal data and various types of information about individuals, there are particular protections in place, and this constitution is the main basis upon which we have to strengthen safety in the digital space. Regardless of whether we are talking about men or women, this applies to everybody. general prosecutor's office also has measures on cyber protection. We have strengthened legislation in the field of protection of women and their safety, and in particular, we have introduced criminal liability for stalking, which creates an additional mechanism for protecting them from systematic harassment, including in cases when digital technologies are used, emails and other forms of digital technologies. There was a question about how we are preparing judges and other legal officers. I'd like to give the floor to the administration, please, the judicial administration.

Training of judges is carried out in a systemic way. Since 2016, the Academy of Justice has carried out around 100 events on international obligations, including this Convention. Training benefited more than 3,000 judges. There were 10 seminars that were provided about the UN Committee on Human Rights and human trafficking and this was for over 200 judges. In 2025 there were 50 judges that work on cases of violence who underwent training organised by the Supreme Court along with the OSCE and there were cases on gender awareness, trainings on gender awareness that were provided. And there were 17, uh, seminars organized by the Supreme Court on the deprivation of parental rights. In 2026, there were another 46 judges who were trained on crim- sexual offenses and, uh, sexual offenses related to children. This was some of the support of UNICEF. UNICEF and trainings are ongoing.

I'd also like to add, Mr. Safarov, that in our legislation, there is not a single rule on domestic violence. That is the case. But if you look at our jurisprudence and how we are designing the code, we are trying to build that in. I myself have been writing amendments as a Member of Parliament. And the purpose of our legislation is to criminalise domestic violence. And if you look at a number of articles, including on battery, for instance, there are specific qualifications for these offences, which relate to victims who have been victims at the hands of people with whom they live. And so this is true not just for domestic violence, but also other spheres where people can be materially or physically or economically dependent and that dependence is taken into account. There is also a normative decree from the Supreme Court about how to implement those rules. And so the question about a law on domestic violence, although there is no specific law on domestic violence itself, it is included under a number of articles and those articles do make it possible for us to address domestic violence. I hope we've answered your questions. Do tell us if we've left any out.


CEDAW · Chair [52:37]:

Thank you. Thank you very much to all the answers. I see we have a follow-up question for Mr. Safarov. Please, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [52:50]:

Thank you very much. I'm very grateful for the answers, which have been particularly comprehensive, including the statistics. We do understand and can truly appreciate the constitutional basis underpinning your measures. The constitution is the foundation document, and it is clear that you have legislation on international agreements where, in one of the articles, there is the precedence of international obligations over national legislation that is clearly set out. Unfortunately, though, the former way in which the article was interpreted was not necessarily in keeping with that. So, for instance, there were a number of priorities which were overridden. And I would like to ask a question about awareness about the Convention and its optional protocols. For instance, Mr. Kachitov, on the website of your ministry, The Convention has not been translated into Kazakhstan, nor have its optional protocols. There is a website where it is in Kazakh. but the dissemination of the Convention could be improved in some formats, including the electronic format, for instance. It can be advertised, it can be provided in the Kazakh language so as to promote the Convention's standards. Regarding the reform of the statistical data system, we note that in your legislation or in your statistics system, rather, reforms are under way. When it comes to gender-disaggregated data that is compiled, do you have terminology in your constitution about gender equality in that regard? I know that there is an organisation that works with you and with the relevant organisation in your country, but could you please tell us about what measures in particular have been taken, because if you don't have gender disaggregated data, then the system for the protection of women and their rights will not be as effective. Also, a final question, perhaps I didn't hear the answer, perhaps I'm mistaken, but a criminal case regarding gender discrimination, violence on the basis of gender. Could you give us the number of such cases, for instance, in 2024-2025? How is this handled by the judiciary? I am not talking about the implementation of the Convention itself, but about the number of criminal cases that have been brought before a court on gender-based criminal offences. How many were there, for instance, over the last five years? Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [55:59]:

Thank you, Mr. Saferov. I would like to give the floor to Mrs. Hacker for a follow-up question. Please, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Expert [56:06]:

Chair, I want to go back to access to justice that was mentioned by the country rapporteur, and to focus on family matters, and to get the real picture of whether every woman below poverty level provided free legal aid in family matters. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [56:23]:

Very much. I turn now back to the delegation to provide the answers, please.


Kazakhstan [56:34]:

Yeah, Adwitya. I'll try and answer the question. Yes, women receive legal assistance in the form of consultations, in the form of specialized professional legal defense. Women can count on crisis shelters when they have been victims of violence. And in those crisis centers, they also receive all necessary assistance, medical, psychological, legal. And in addition to these crisis centers, there are specific family support centers for women who have been victims of violence. And they, so women who are victims of domestic violence can find shelter there. Would anybody like to add anything? Yes, the Ministry of Culture and Information

Regarding the dissemination of the Convention and information resources, this Convention, it is true, is placed on the main legal information system, like Adalyet, but this system is the most visited in Kazakhstan, and that is where citizens turn most frequently in order to obtain information. Moreover, we regularly carry out information campaigns which are broad in scope, and We raise awareness about the convention among specific population groups. For instance, seminars are organised for experts who work in the field of gender. Alongside that, I would like to add that, in 2027, we have planned to co-operate with a certain organisation to provide audiovisual material on this and to translate the Convention into Braille. This is being done with the organisations that have been tasked to do this. Thank you.

This was a response to a question from Mr. Safarov about dissemination of the Convention. I have started to answer Ms. Haka's question. I will now move on to Mr. Safarov's question about the convention and the number of criminal cases on gender discrimination. Have we got such criminal cases and data about them?

Good morning, distinguished committee members. I am from the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Regarding liability for discrimination, in our constitution, discrimination is prohibited on all grounds, be it religious, ethnic or social characteristics. According to our constitution, that is reflected in our criminal legislation. There are a number of articles, including those on killing, infliction of harm and others, an aggravating circumstance is the commission of an offence on grounds of ethnic or other forms of discrimination or hatred. Moreover, for any crime that is committed, if the motive was one of those grounds, then the offence is recognised as such, and that is taken into account when handing down a sentence. There is article 145 on discrimination. And in 2023, there was one criminal case under this article. And since then, there have been no such cases brought before a court. Information on gender disaggregated data, we will provide subsequently. And should I provide some information about statistics? In the field of domestic relations and violence, as I said, there were in 2025, there were 700 or 7000 cases. A number of criminal cases were brought in 2024, there were 4000. In 2025, there was another number. And over the last eight months, 1920 cases out of them. In 2025, 3,000 resulted in prosecution. In 2024, there were 3,700.


Kazakhstan [1:01:34]:

Dmitry Korchikov.


Kazakhstan [1:01:36]:

Mr. Korchikov would like to add something.


Kazakhstan [1:01:39]:

Mr. Safarov, allow me once again on statistics to give you some additional information. When you spoke about how we compile the statistics, I would divide our response into two parts here. Firstly, there's civil or citizen statistics. We have the National Statistics Office, which publishes in open access all data. They are completely disaggregated. You can go and look on the website itself. All data are provided broken down for in a women's section or broken down by age or rural settlements, urban places, all those data are there. Then there's a second block of statistics, which is a block of legal statistics, which is used by our Commission on Legal Statistics under the General Prosecutor's Office. and we ensure the collection and compilation of statistical data about registered criminal offences as well as victims, including with regard to women and minors. The information system systemizes all these data, and then they can be fully disaggregated by sex, age, the existence of a disability or other characteristics of the victim. This also makes it possible to take into account offences and the different penalties that they can entail. We work on the basis of disaggregated data, both in the civilian sphere and in the legal and judicial sphere.


Kazakhstan [1:03:26]:

We would also like to add to what we said in response to Ms. Hacker's question. I'd like to give the floor to the Supreme Court.

Marital rape is a crime, and when there is no physical harm that is evident, that is not a reason not to prosecute. There is a moral obligation to establish the rights of the victims, and the fact that a rape was committed in marriage does not lessen the crime. The threat or carrying out of violence against close relatives is also an offence. The court looks at evidence as a whole. And cases can be considered in closed hearings. There can also be measures taken regarding children and their testimonies, and these measures have to be satisfied. And the victim has to provide written consent. In 2025, 242 persons were tried for rape and 155 were tried for sexual offences when there was no consent, that is. And we understand that rape can be understood through the act itself, the threat thereof, and when It comes to legislation that needs refining. We are currently working with Spain, Sweden and Switzerland on this.

Colleagues, let us conclude the response to Ms. Hacker's question about legal aid on family cases. Regarding access to justice, the law ensures free legal consultations for women who are victims of sexual violence and also victims who have suffered physical, psychological harm and who cannot defend themselves. A legal defence is provided on a monthly basis, and this is paid for through the state budget. In 2026, the Supreme Court compelled judges to ensure such legal aid on matters of sexual offences. In our criminal procedural code, women with disabilities are also provided legal aid. If they lack legal capacity, measures are taken to provide them with support in an appropriate fashion. The Office of the Public Prosecutor can also begin investigations without there being a direct complaint in some cases. In 2024, the Constitutional Court, on the basis of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, provided assistance for persons with disabilities, and guaranteed legal aid over the last five years was provided to around 2,000 women.


CEDAW · Chair [1:07:00]:

Thank you. Thank you very much. I would like now to move to article 3 and 4 and would like to give the floor to Mrs. Schlappy on both articles for six minutes together. Thank you.


CEDAW · Expert [1:07:16]:

Excellencies, distinguished members of the delegation, ladies and gentlemen. Let me join my colleagues in welcoming you to this constructive dialogue and express my deep appreciation for Ms. Charbustanova's contribution to our committee. Thank you once again for your comprehensive report and for the additional information that you shared. I will talk briefly about four issues around Article 3 and 4 of the Convention. First, the national machinery for advancing women's rights. Kazakhstan has taken a variety of commendable efforts, we heard this morning, and adopted a series of gender-responsive national policies, including the concept on family and gender policy. Gender equality efforts are coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and Information, which is present here. Since 2024, the akims, the administrative heads of the provinces, have been advised by external gender equality experts. However, the Global Gender Gap Index shows a considerable setback for Kazakhstan, from the 62nd position in 2023 to the 94th position in 2026. this shows that major gender disparities persist. My questions: Does Kazakhstan plan for a standalone gender equality strategy distinct from family policies? If yes, measures and timelines? How does Kazakhstan plan to further strengthen the institutional architecture for advancing gender equality, including clear responsibilities, adequate budgets, and monitoring and accountability mechanisms? What functions do gender equality advisers to regional authorities perform, and what is the impact of their work? What can we expect from the new action plan for implementing the concept on family and gender policy? How will its results be monitored? My second issue I want to talk about is the national human rights institution, the Ombudsman. In 2022, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ombudsman, received constitutional status. We heard about that. It guarantees independence, immunity, the right to appeal to the Constitutional Court, and an increase in staff and regional offices to improve the institution's accessibility. Gender equality and women's protection from violence are central areas of its work. However, the ombudsman's offices at subnational level seem to lack resources, and there is not much information about effective results. The President of the Republic has the competence to appoint and dismiss the Commissioner. This may affect the independence of the institution and limit its ability to oversee executive action and provide effective remedies in case of violations. My questions. What specific measures does the State Party take to ensure the full institutional, functional and financial independence of the Ombudsman in accordance with the Paris Principles? How does the State Party ensure that the Ombudsman has the capacities and the budgets needed to defend women's rights and gender equality? Thirdly, the role of civil society. Kazakhstan has over 23,000 registered NGOs operating. More than 500 are working on family and gender policy issues. Kazakhstan reports that it actively supports women's human rights organizations and promotes their participation in gender monitoring. However, many women's rights organizations face legal and administrative obstacles that restrain their ability to operate and play their role in providing services to victims, monitoring violations, doing advocacy, and secure funding. Feminist and LBT organizations particularly face intimidation and harassment, and they are often accused of LGBT propaganda. What is the content of the planned reform of the legal framework for NGOs? How is it expected to improve the conditions for independent NGOs, particularly women's NGOs, feminist organizations and LBT organizations? How does the State Party intend to institutionalize meaningful consultation with feminist women's organizations in policy and law-making processes? Fourthly and lastly, temporary special measures. Kazakhstan has taken steps toward implementing temporary special measures to advance women in several areas. We have heard about that in the morning. Most notably through electoral reforms in 2020, mandating a 30% quota on party candidate lists for women, youth and persons with disabilities. However, the Committee is concerned by the fact that the cumulative nature of this quota does not guarantee a minimum level of representation for women. In addition, the party list system does not ensure that elected women stay in office. Beyond political participation, women remain underrepresented in male-dominated sectors of the economy, such as energy and heavy industry, particularly in skilled and leadership roles. How is the quota system implemented, monitored and evaluated in political parties and senior government appointments? Is a specific quota for women planned to ensure parity of women and men in political representation? What measures are planned to address the underrepresentation of women in leadership and decision-making roles in the economy, particularly in the energy sector? Thank you very much for your attention.


CEDAW · Chair [1:13:42]:

Thank you very much, Mrs. Schlappi. I would like to give the floor back to the delegation to organize the answers to these questions.


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister of Culture and Information [1:13:59]:

At the start on NGOs, I think. Thank you, Ms. Lippi. Evgeny Kuchitov, head of delegation, Vice Minister of Culture and Information. So let's start with the fact that there is no limits on grounds of discrimination for any NGOs in Kazakhstan. There's no discrimination against them, and we're seeing a steady increase in the non-governmental sector in the country. You gave some figures. If I may, I'd like to compliment this on the statistics regarding NGOs active in women's affairs. We have 200 active NGOs that are directly involved in protecting the rights of women and promoting gender equality. There are several major alliances, the Alliance of Women Forces. There's Legal Center, there's the Association of Businesswomen of Kazakhstan. So there are some quite institutionalized NGO, parts of the NGO sector in Kazakhstan. And then, Madam, you mentioned some examples. With your permission, I'd like to answer in the following way. The feminine agenda in Kazakhstan is not monopolised. There are more than 200 organisations that exist to promote this agenda amongst the population of our country. So, to talk about any kind of individual cases or systematic restrictions of the NGO sector on these matters would not be completely justified or fair. there are no restrictions on the NGOs who promote a feminist agenda to protect the rights of women and including the rights of LGBTQI+ persons in Kazakhstan exist at all. And then on discrimination and restrictions on information and propaganda, well there's no such restrictions. LGBT propaganda is only restricted for children. And though we have had this for quite some time, this was more preventive in nature. This is what we're seeing for our existing practice. Thank you. I shall answer on The issue of the ombudsman institution, and on that question I have some information to share provided by the National Centre for Human Rights and the Institute of the Ombudsman pursuant to the Paris Principles. The institution is institutionalized at constitutional level and there's a separate law on the Ombudsman's office. And in the guarantees of independence, we have the constitution There are new provisions on the financing of the Ombudsman's office, which is independent. There is a separate budget line. Resources are ensured at a certain level, and the Ombudsman is appointed by the head of the Centre for Human Rights. In the Republic's budget, we have expenditure ensured to promote human rights and freedoms of citizens. It's 1,200,000 in our currency. How much is that in dollars? So the budget has increased steadily, and now we can see that the Ombudsman's Office is very much independent and works along the lines of the Paris Principles. It's almost $3 million, the financing. And then the appointment. The President as the main guarantor of the rights and freedoms of citizens pursuant to the Constitution, we consider it logical that he would then, the President would then appoint the Ombudsman because the President is the key person responsible for defending and promoting the rights of citizens. There's no particular requirements for who should be appointed to the Ombudsman. I know that in different countries it is done in different ways, through the Parliament and so on. For us, it's done by the President as the main guarantor of rights and freedoms. Then on specific cases dealt with by the Ombudsman's Office, distinguished members of the Committee, I'd like to provide you information on specific initiatives at the Ombudsman's Office. Well, the Ombudsman's Institute has a comprehensive approach, examines complaints, analyzes legislation, produces specialized reports, and also makes recommendations to state bodies. I can say that the new article against forced marriage, prohibiting forced marriage in our legislation was initiated by the Ombudsman's office. The Ombudsman works directly with other institutions as well. Last year, he produced a report on domestic violence and last year as well, issued a report on women's rights. So there's not only human rights protection element, there's also an awareness raising role for the Ombudsman and raise awareness on the rights of women. And in 2026, particular attention is being paid to women in detention, working on investigating any complaints brought by women in detention and in prisons and works to prevent sexual and gender violence. The recommendations of the Ombudsman are sent to all state bodies and agencies and each and every one takes account of the recommendations of the Ombudsman. And as I've already said, the criminalization of forced marriage happened upon an initiative of the Ombudsman. I hope that I've given enough detail in my answer to you on how the Ombudsman for Human Rights works. If necessary, I can of course provide additional information.


Kazakhstan · Deputy Director [1:21:53]:

Then, on the concept on family and gender policy, Karol, good. Good morning, distinguished members of the committee. My name is Gulmira Zakharova, I'm Deputy Director of the Department of International Law in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan. So, I'm a member of the Commission. Well, the first question was on the fact that we have dropped some positions in the Global Gender Index. Well, yes, unfortunately, we did. and that was particularly on the political representation of women. In 2026, after the elections, we achieved a historic record on women's representation. From 18% in 2025, when nearly 34%, 33.8% of women parliamentarians of parliamentarians in Kazakhstan. So this is a first for us. And this was the result of several measures which were adopted by the Commission and by the political parties who conducted work over previous years. So we are carrying out work on the economic component and attracting women entrepreneurs. So we very much hope that this work will be fruitful and for the next Global Gender Gap Index, we will see an increase in our position again. And then on the monitoring for the gender policies in Kazakhstan, there's a question on that. Well, today, systematically, we have the National Commission under the President, which has 34 members of the commission. And many of these are representatives of the NGO sector. And they represent different regions as well in our country. And in all regions, we have commissions on women's affairs under the heads of the region. And their main task is to integrate gender approaches directly into the work of the local authorities and to work very closely with the National Commission on Women's Affairs. There's also The role of general advisors. This institution was established in 2024 under presidential decree. So currently in Kazakhstan, you can see There's a whole ecosystem which coordinates implementation of the gender strategy in Kazakhstan. We have the National Commission on Women's Affairs, we have the regional commissions on women's affairs under the akims, the heads of the regions, and then we have the institution of advisors on gender matters. And then, of course, we work closely with the NGO sector. For two years, it has been working in that way in the whole ecosystem. A question was raised about whether we have a separate strategy on gender equality. Currently, we have a concept on family and gender policy that was adopted in 2016 and was updated in 2021. It is currently being updated again in 2026, and it will run until 2030. NGOs and civil society are involved in expanding and separating gender policy from family policy. I think that, by 2030, We will look on this and the Ministry of Culture and Information will have the possibility of looking at that, of separating out gender and family policies. But now we're dealing with family and gender policy together, but there are individual indicators for gender policy within this general concept. So there are indicators both for family side and for the gender policy side. Thank you. I shall add a few words on temporary measures and the individual concept on gender equality. We have the law on equal rights and opportunities for men and women. This year, we adopted a plan to achieve equal rights and opportunities for men and women. There are 46 individual measures in that plan. And then on special temporary measures, it's not only gender quotas. I agree that we don't have enough women represented in decision-making roles. So alongside these quotas, which we have as a temporary measure, which allow women to achieve greater representation in Parliament, we have other mechanisms as well that we wish to really step up to increase to ensure women's, to ensure parity. A lot has been done in the national commissions and through our partnership with UN Women and other organizations, we've carried out many training courses for women to prepare them to take a full part in political life, to empower them, to encourage them in their activities. And you asked in particular about the gender policy advisors. Well, the advisors are at each regional level and Part of their role is to attract women to be involved in political life, not only through quotas, but through other mechanisms as well, through education and training, awareness raising, and the regional commissions work with the political parties as well. The political parties in general see about half of the members as women. and we have the quotas for women's representation in Parliament to help, but quotas are not enough on their own. We have areas where we have first past the post mechanism and then it's rather difficult for women to win the elections. And so for the future, we're looking at how we can build the capacity of women so that they can really achieve their dreams, they can take part in political processes. So if they're active party members, to help them to take part in elections, to stand for elections, to help them with their manifestos and the whole election campaign. So we're having training for this. Also at school level, we have separate programs which aim to eradicate gender stereotypes, to introduce full understanding of gender equality. We see this as a comprehensive task. So we have the concept, we have the law, we have the quotas. They're all part of this. And we hope that this comprehensive approach will improve the situation, improve our rating. And then if you talk about the 94th position in the Global Gender Gap Index, Well, we've achieved some really quite high indicators on education and health, but now we need to really work on women in decision-making positions, and we're going to carry on with that work. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:29:52]:

Thank you very much. I don't see a flag for, okay, a flag for a follow-up question. Mrs. Schlappi, you have the floor.


CEDAW · Expert [1:30:03]:

Sorry, yes, of course, it would be very interesting to discuss further on all these issues. Thank you very much for your very rich responses to all what I put as a question. One question is still in my mind. What is planned to do with the NGO law? I heard that there is a reform planned. Can you talk, can you give me some hints? Secondly, do you plan to apply for status A in the National Human Rights Institutions UN system? You have status B for the moment. Do you also plan for applying for status A? Thirdly, I think you are very much true that temporary special measures are not only quota. I had to be very brief in my intervention, that's why I was talking about quota. And I really commend your comprehensive approach to this and seeing it as a complex, let's say, ecosystem, as you also say about the strategies. I think this is a very good idea. I think colleague on article 7 and 8 will come back to the political issues and how this will be done. My last question is about the family and gender policy. Let's hope that we will be in the next round we can talk about the gender policy which will be more specific than just as a part of the family policy. Thank you very much.


Speaker 40 [1:31:57]:

The head of delegation will tackle the first question.


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister of Culture and Information [1:31:59]:

Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Schlieppi. I'm sorry that we missed a question about the law on NGOs. As the vice minister of culture, I am actually in charge of working on that law. And what stage are we at right now? And what does this law actually include? The question of the development of the civil society sector was actually distributed between different laws. There are some on public associations, there's an act on the financing of, or state procurement rather, state public procurement, there's also the act on not-for-profit organizations. The idea with this new law is to actually combine all of those acts in one compact document, which would help meet the modern day challenges facing our society. That's the first task. The second task we have in mind is to raise the level and status of NGOs in their work. Let me give you a very straightforward example. Today, in our country, we have a mechanism for strategic partnerships with NGOs. This is when a ministry So, for instance, the Ministry for Information becomes a partner with this or that NGO in order to carry out a particular program, for example, in this way of volunteering. According to current legislation, this can only be done at the country level, countrywide level. And one of the novelties of the new act would be to also allow such mechanisms to be established at a regional level. So it's aimed also at enhancing the financial sustainability of the not-for-profit sector. Another point about this act is bringing into line the conceptual framework, the definitions, because the previous laws were adopted at the start of the 2000s, and their terminology is a bit obsolete. A third point, which is equally important, is the matter of funding. I'd like to say, having heard your question and anticipating other potential questions, a separate rule on restricting funding or foreign funding is not what we have in mind. We're not going down that track. We're implementing the OECD principles on this matter and we abide by those principles. At what stage are we at right now? We have published the strategic framework for this law. It is currently in open access. We are discussing it. There have been a number of consultations with groups. At the start of 2027, in January, we are supposed to bring this bill to Parliament, where discussion will continue, but at a different level, obviously. So we're currently discussing the bill. We're looking at what can be changed. It's a very flexible process right now. When the bill goes before Parliament, then we'll see what shape the discussion takes in February 2027. Regarding the A status of our NHRI, let me assure you that, yes, indeed, we would like to acquire A status. That is why the national human rights institution has its own roadmap, its own vision, and We are aiming to achieve that status. In fact, a constitutional rule on the human rights ombudsperson was adopted, and specific standards and rules about the ombudsperson's independence and mandate were adopted. That work is actively under way.


CEDAW · Chair [1:36:42]:

Thank you. Thank you very much to the delegation and to the expert. We would like to move now and hope that we can keep up with the time management to article 5 and 6 of the Convention. And I would like to give the floor on article 5 to Ms. Natasha Stodd-Despouja, followed by Mrs. Rana for article 6. Mrs. Despouja, you have the floor for six minutes. Thank you.


CEDAW · Expert [1:37:18]:

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I add my warm welcome to the delegation and also want to acknowledge our impressive colleague, Madina Jabluzinova, and everything that Dr. Safarov said, I absolutely endorse. I also acknowledge in your opening remarks, Your Excellency's specific reference to stereotypes and the awareness initiatives around violence against women, and also some of the work that you're doing regarding gender stereotypes in schools, et cetera. But I ask specifically, what measured changes in attitudes and institutional behavior have they produced? I'm wondering if the State Party has a plan to formulate, or it has already, a prevention strategy that has clear baselines outcome targets and independent evaluation, involving also women's organizations in this design and oversight. As to the crux of this article, is your awareness work assessing stereotypes reproduced through family policy and public institutions, including practices that prioritize preserving relationships over women's safety and autonomy? The head of delegation discussed the importance of addressing domestic violence, but as discussed, your prevention law recognises psychological and economic violence, but there's no dedicated domestic violence offence in the criminal code addressing the pattern and cumulative impact of abuse, including coercive control. Following the repeal of the dedicated domestic violence prevention law, could you clarify what exactly, what protections were retained, changed or removed? And can I just acknowledge your very direct answers to the questions today have been appreciated. And in particular, Madam Member of Parliament, you were talking about the work that you were doing on amendments to address some of these issues. We would be interested to hear what is actually taking place in relation to that. The State Party's written evidence states that prosecution of all gender-based violence is now mandatory. However, civil society's legal analysis identifies offences that generally require a victim's complaint under Article 32 of the Criminal Procedure Code, subject to prosecutors' exceptional powers under Article 32. Can you clarify when proceedings can begin and continue without a complaint? And when can reconciliation still bring proceedings to an end? What safeguards are there to prevent police, relatives or perpetrators from pressuring women to withdraw complaints or reconcile, particularly where violence is repeated or women are economically dependent? I want to thank you for the data you've provided today, statistics this morning about rape and sexual assault, for example, but it might also be helpful for the committee to have data not only on how many rape or domestic violence cases proceeded to investigation, prosecution and conviction, but on what grounds some of these cases were discontinued. Would you consider publishing annual data following cases from report to final outcome, including reasons for discontinuance and sanctions and remedies? It would be interesting to know if women did experience further serious violence or indeed were killed after reporting abuse or while a protection order was in place. There is an awful paradox here in that I heard this morning very impressive statistics about reduction in domestic violence and sexual assault. However, we know that when there is increased public awareness or campaigns such as those that you have described, sometimes help awareness and help seeking goes up and therefore there are higher reports. It is an awful paradox, but it is interesting to know if the decrease in the statistics that you have given us this morning actually correlate to a real decrease in violence against women. Alongside your stated commitment to prosecute domestic violence, would you consider establishing an independent, multidisciplinary domestic and violence family death review mechanism. We also welcome reinstatement of a criminal liability for battery and minor bodily harm and, as mentioned, the criminalisation of stalking and coercion into marriage. But how are these reforms translating into effective protection, accountability and prevention? But civil society reports that there are delays in public funding and licensing barriers that undermine the availability and continuity of specialist and support services for victims. Could you outline how the state party is ensuring adequately funded shelters and specialist support, including for women with disabilities, rural and migrant women, and women living with HIV? On the issue of sexual violence, the committee has received different accounts from the state party when it comes to the applicable standard. I know we have tried to address this in some of the questions already, but the 2024 report referred to a woman's active resistance, while your 2025 replies stated that the key element is the absence of voluntary and informed consent. But there seems to be a continuing reliance on the Criminal Code on violence, threats or helplessness, and there are reports that investigations place excessive weight on physical injuries and biological evidence. What offence actually covers sexual intercourse without freely given consent where violence, threats and helplessness cannot be proved? I note that the State Party has indicated that there are no further amendments planned, but would you consider or reconsider that position and amend articles 120 and 121 to make the absence of freely given consent assessed in the circumstances the defining element? And I do note through you that your representative talked about the moral obligation in these matters, and we respect that. I understand that my time has elapsed and therefore I will ask follow-up questions if there are responses that are relevant. But, Madam Chair, I just want to put on record that we commend the new forced marriage offence and removal of the exemption associated with voluntary release following abduction. Nonetheless, the evidence does contain conflicting amounts. accounts of what the minimum age actually is. One report says that there are no exemption permits below the age of 18, and another describes exceptions allowing marriage from the age of 16 in the case of pregnancy or childbirth. Could you please clarify what is the applicable law? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:43:58]:

Thank you very much, Mr. Despodra. Let me now give on Article 6 the floor to Mrs. Pacili Toledo-Vasquez for four minutes, please.


CEDAW · Expert [1:44:10]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. It is an honour for me to participate in this constructive dialogue, and I will be addressing States' obligation for the eradication of trafficking in women. We welcome the adoption of the 2024 Act on Combating Human Trafficking. However, I would like to delve into some of its aspects, including effective implementation and the broader measures taken in order to address the trafficking of women and girls. First of all, we'd like to know whether you have any initiatives in place to include explicitly in your legislation migrants who are in an irregular or undocumented situation, as well as specific measures for preventing the trafficking that affects them. Also, how do you ensure that trafficking is prevented during processes of deportation of undocumented migrant women? We're concerned by this because according to the law, transport, accommodation and food are guaranteed for a maximum of three days while the victim is identified. But this time limit means that the victim is at risk of losing essential support. They may end up on the street or at risk of deportation if the identification process takes more than those three days. Furthermore, the state has indicated that the services provided by crisis centres have been broadened, including accommodation and psychosocial and medical assistance. And although women living with HIV may not be denied access to a refugee or crisis centre anymore, the general category of infectious diseases seems to allow those practices to continue in actual fact. We are also concerned by regional disparities regarding access to shelters and specialized services, especially in rural areas. The number of centers for victims of human trafficking has shrunk from 28 to 4 due to new licensing rules that have considerably restricted the operations of shelters that depend on not-for-profit organisations. Their role in combating human trafficking and identification and referral of victims is essential, but there is no systematic cooperation with NGOs across the entire process in all stages, including legal assistance, prevention and reintegration. Regarding investigation and access to justice, there's a low number of convictions compared to the number of offences recorded, and this makes it difficult for investigations and prosecutions. What obstacles have the authorities identified in the face of the high number of archived cases, especially regarding immigrant women who face deportation? In this context, we are also concerned by the fact that there is no clear guarantee for free legal aid for victims. including measures for them to report extortion, arbitrary detention or reprisals at the hands of police officers. Do you intend to include explicitly in law the principle of no penalties for victims who have committed offences under duress? The lack of information about their rights and the lack of effective access to effective legal representation not only hinders their access to justice, but it also hampers investigations and effective proceedings. We would also like to know how you guarantee that assistance for victims is guaranteed in order to ensure that they can access reparations. What percentage of the identified victims have received compensation? Are there any mechanisms that allow for compensation independently of whether the perpetrators have been identified or convicted? Finally, it is difficult to get the full picture of the state's response to trafficking because the figures available about offences and victims, registered victims receiving services, convictions and reparation. are not present in a unified and comparable system. How will Kazakhstan leverage digital infrastructure in order to create an integrated monitoring system? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [1:48:10]:

I would like now to give back the floor to the delegation to answer question under Article 5 and 6.


Kazakhstan [1:48:21]:

On Article 5, We will start by answering Ms Bisbot's question, and we will take the first question. Distinguished commission members, I come from the National Commission for Women and Family Affairs and Demographics. As I have already said, we are ensuring monitoring of the implementation of the gender policy. Regarding stereotypes, our country does recognize the presence of gender stereotypes. And as a representative of an investigative body, we, every year, at the request of the state, measure how the perceptions of men and women in different spheres are shaped. This includes the political sphere, the domestic sphere, and the distribution of family obligations. This task is enshrined in the gender policy roadmap up to 2027, and we must measure these elements. And we have seen an improvement, an improvement in terms of how women are perceived and how active they are at the political level. More and more of our population believe that high political offices can be held regardless of one's gender. The gender does not matter. And we also carry out information awareness campaigns through the Ministry of Culture and Information on this. So I'll try and answer a number of On a number of points, first of all education. My colleagues will add what I have to say, but there is a school subject from grades 1 to 5 on personal safety and this includes a significant chunk of material on gender policy. and the perception of women and men. Significant work is done by NGOs under the aegis of the National Commission on Women. We have a unit on reproductive health, and for the second year running now, we have carried out large-scale actions encompassing state bodies in the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry for Health, the Ministry for Education, and all of the international organizations that are represented in Kazakhstan, and also NGOs who work on reproductive health. This also has an impact on how boys and girls view their role in life, and it helps break down stereotypes about women and men's hygiene. This is the second year now that we've done this, and the coverage is of a few million people. So it's a large, integrated experience. It's unique to Kazakhstan, really, and it is of a scope that encompasses all of the relevant state bodies and NGOs. those. We have given specific days for reproductive health. On the first day, there are activities carried out on men's health. On the second day, sexual transmitted diseases. And then on the third day, women's reproductive health. And we do this in coordination with all of the relevant bodies. What is also important is that this is done at the education level. So it's children who are encompassed in this program. A second thrust is that UN Women, for instance, and the UNDP, these organizations also carry out awareness raising campaigns and research which help decision makers take better decisions in this field. Also, under the aegis of the National Commission on Women, every year we hold a forum of fathers. This also helps strengthen the role of the father in family relations. This is very important to us because, when it comes to domestic work, very often the bulk of that is done by women and girls, so we're trying to change that. This work is very important, and for a number of years now we've held such activities. I'd also like to underscore how we are combating stereotypes. We're doing this particularly through information campaigns, and we place emphasis on particular elements that are linked to violence against women, so bride kidnapping and stalking, and here our information campaigns are very useful. They are carried out on social networks also and by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Our institute, the social development institution ensures that when young people have decided to marry, it's often to save resources. Bride kidnapping these days is losing advocates, not so many people in favor of it. And recent figures have shown and in 2025 as well, we have found that those who positively view this tradition have fallen in numbers, and there are regional discrepancies here. So, we are not just carrying out a policy to combat stereotypes, but we are also taking measures to gauge how these stereotypes are changing, and this is included in the design of our policy. Thank you.


Kazakhstan · Deputy Minister [1:53:56]:

Thank you. Good morning. I am Deputy Minister for Science and Education. The eradication of gender stereotypes in education in Kazakhstan is considered today not to be a one-off measure, but as systemic work to support education and ensure the relevant expertise in our textbooks and to shape a culture of equality and respect. among our children. I'd like to begin by noting that the principle of equality has already been enshrined as a basic requirement in our education system. And in 2026, this year, when the new constitution was adopted, we have introduced changes into the government standards for the provision of education. Gender equality is a separate subject matter, and it is included in textbooks. This is particularly important. with the expertise contained in our teaching materials, we ensure an equal weight is given in the materials here. So you look not just at text, but also images, and we look at how balanced the representation of girls and boys, men and women is, their interests, their social roles and their opportunities. This approach has been officially built into our materials and it is also part of what we are doing to implement the CEDAW convention. The mechanism of textbook expertise has been increased. There are teachers, practitioners, that is, and subject matter experts who contribute to the preparation of these textbooks. Moreover, in 2025 and 2026, when preparing the textbooks, there was an expert commission that looked at 2,200-odd materials, out of which 266 were adopted. As of the 29th of September of this year, the next cycle of approval will cover 34 pilot schools, including textbooks on literature, on world history, on languages, on biology, on physics, on geography, and on fundamental rights. Working on stereotypes is thus built in through all the different subject matters, be it history or literature. For examples, in history, children learn about women who played an independent political and social role. For instance, in grade five, the history of the women tsarina is taught. And also two more points that I would like to draw your attention to is the fact that we are substantively increasing the human rights component of the school curriculum as of this year. Pupils in grades five and six learn about the fundamentals of the constitution. There are also modules on law and order, and the fundamentals of law is compulsory for all students. in light of the adoption of the new constitution. And another formal component of our textbooks is on the educational environment of schools itself. Thank you.


Kazakhstan [1:57:42]:

I would now to give the floor to the Office of the Prosecutor General on offences and what measures and what statistics there are in particular. I now like to give the floor to you.

If I may, I can start and I can tell you about the general philosophy underpinning our legislation in this sphere, and then my colleagues will provide complementary statistics. You said that there is and you are concerned by the link between the fact that we carry out information and preventive work and the number of offences related to domestic violence which are on the rise. What I'd like to say is that in accordance with the new law, we have changed the very philosophy underpinning work in the field of domestic violence. Today, in order to begin work by the law enforcement bodies on offenses linked to domestic violence, we do not require a direct complaint from the victim anymore. Today, for investigations to begin, it is sufficient for the offence to be detected, for us to detect the fact that an offence may have occurred. For instance, neighbours witnessed this or that crime, or they can inform the law enforcement bodies, and now the law enforcement bodies have to initiate investigations into that case. It is mandatory. Before, the victim themselves had to file a complaint. That is no longer a requirement. So we have moved on to a philosophy by which we do not pass over in silence domestic violence. On the contrary, we speak about them. And the number of crimes in this sphere has started to fall. I think I told you about that. And this is really important to us. Now, on the statistical data themselves, my colleagues from the law enforcement agencies will provide information, and they will also say what measures to combat domestic violence are in place.

Um, Bogdan, uh, this, uh, this.

Yes, indeed, I'd like to add to what my colleague has said by saying that in the Republic of Kazakhstan, we've moved away from a complaint needing to be made. So, we have criminalization on battery and so on. So, as my colleague said, we have It is sufficient for us to have a notification that a crime has been committed to start investigations. If you look at the statistics on Article 73 under the Administrative Code, we've seen an increase of 19%. And then on the crimes, as we've said, in eight months, we've seen a decrease in domestic violence. At 24%. So this is for the first eight months of 2026. And this is compared to the same period last year. And we've seen the cases of killings have dropped to 20%. Thank you.

Then on preventive measures from the Ministry of the Interior side. In 2025, in Kazakhstan, we adopted a law on preventing offenses and crimes. and psychological and economic violence, and we provided for protective measures and providing psychological and legal assistance to victims of such violence. Pursuant to this law, we established a mobile group We have mobile groups in different regions, and we are increasing those. They involve representatives of the police, social services and other agencies, and they take the necessary measures for an urgent reaction. We are really focusing on preventive measures to prevent offences and crimes. We have worked to increase the capacity of these mobile groups, we carry out discussions with the alleged offenders and then we assess the degree of risk and take appropriate measures and we take, we adopt protection measures to prohibit contact with the victim, and this can be for up to 30 days. And if the protection orders are violated, then the court can take specific measures, and the suspected aggressor has infringement of the order. And in criminal cases, We have different categories of offence and we can, if there's a violation of protection order, then the person can be put in detention, in pre-trial detention.

I'd just like to add to what my colleagues have said. You asked me as a Member of Parliament what we intend to do in the future. So, We have worked to strengthen preventive measures through the act to prevent domestic violence. When we repealed the Domestic Violence Act, we took on board all the measures in the new law, and they started to act immediately to protect women and children. All of this was brought together in a systematic way so that we could have all the protective measures and that there would be no duplication in different individual acts. So now we have this one united act and we have a specific chapter on preventing domestic violence. There's a series of measures which have been kept from the previous law, but there's also now additional measures. So prevention measures for victims is a very good measure so that we can try to prevent repeat offenses. And there's also new measures on how to work with the attacker to try to work on aggression and anger management and work with specialists. So as parliamentarians, we intend to add to this law to strengthen the measures to improve safety for all in the family.

And then there was a question, I think, which remains on the financing of crisis centres. The Minister of Labour. I'm from the Ministry of Labour. In Kazakhstan, we have special services which are provided to victims, and these are to meet the needs of victims. As of 2025, we have increased the number of centres, and we have requirements which have been established for them. The licensing procedures have allowed the state to look at the quality of the services provided by these centres. The licensed centres today need to meet the established requirements, need to have specific staff trained in certain ways with certain qualifications, and to work with the different providers and the number of crisis centers has led us to move towards a higher quality of these centers and better assistance provided to victims. Then on the financing, we have provided for the maximum amount of financing under this mechanism, increasing it of $6 million. In this way, The State is really emphasizing not the number of crisis centers, but the quality of them to ensure full access and high quality of services provided. And so I think that we've responded to the first colleague from the first questions from the expert, and now we're moving on to Article 6 on sexual violence in the legislation.

So on the question of.

Whether there's consent or not and how this is reflected in the criminal legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, well, first and foremost, I should note that in the criminal code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, there is a category of aggravating circumstances and especially grave crimes are ones with a sexual component and rape. And there are special punishments for all kinds of sexual violence, and this is forcing forced sexual relations, and this can lead to different prison sentences. There are two articles covering this, and it covers the threat and use of the threat of force and the use of force, but also if the victim is unconscious or cannot defend themselves. And in the Republic of Kazakhstan, we've adopted a new amendment which clearly states what is this lack of capacity to defend yourself. This is if you are a minor, if you are elderly, if you have health conditions, if you are intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, and if you or if you could not defend yourself and not protest. So this is all clearly laid out now. And a key part of this crime pursuant to international law is a lack of informed voluntary consent. And lack of consent is considered in all of the comprehensive consideration of a case in the victim's testimony and in the witness testimony as well. I should note that in a Supreme Court We have increased the list of ways to carry out violent acts. So it's not only a strike or hit. There's also when they prevent the victim to leave their car or leave their vehicle. This is all part of a violent act. And we understand the recommendations of the committee. And as I said previously, we are studying experience of other countries as well, such as Sweden, Germany.

Thank you.

And then preventing and combating trafficking, human trafficking. What question would you like to answer on trafficking? Yes, please, go ahead.

I represent the Prosecutor's Office. Distinguished Chair, the Republic of Kazakhstan pays particular attention to preventing and combating human trafficking, protecting victims, and bringing those responsible to and prosecuting those responsible. And we have the 2024 special law on countering human trafficking. In this law, we have one organized legal system to combat trafficking in human beings and to identify victims. and to carry out, to provide social services to them and to have interagency cooperation on this matter. We pay particular attention to the issue of the victims. We provide for the confidentiality of personal data, providing medical, social, psychological and legal assistance, and also state protection. and legal matters. We also have additional guarantees for time of residence in the country and for migration issues. There's comprehensive assistance to victims, and we have 160 family support centers which are involved in this, and there is a hotline as well. Hotlines, which are also, we are also assisted by NGOs. We identified 247 victims in 2025, including foreign citizens, and we have eight centres for special services to be provided to such victims. They held over 180 victims, including 22 children, and this included 91 foreign citizens in criminal regulation of this. Human trafficking and trafficking in minors, illegal prostitution and other forms of exploitation are all considered in our legislation. And crimes linked to human trafficking, we have the possibility to have reconciliation. We have law enforcement officers who are vigilant on this and are trained. and 647 cases have been initiated on those issues since the start of 2025. In the first eight months of this year, we already have 85 cases that have been started. In the training of law enforcement officers, we pay particular attention to new forms of exploitation using digital technologies. The legislation provides for responsibility for different kinds of organisation of prostitution and exploitation using the internet and other communication technologies. Of the 85 crimes registered this year, we saw that 19 were organized through digital technologies, online networking and exploitation, and using digital means is something we're very vigilant about. The General Prosecutor's Office has worked together with the OSCE to prepare a report on trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation using digital technologies. Kazakhstan is also developing international cooperation with the UN and other international organizations, the IOM, the OSCE, UNDP, and other partners, as human trafficking is transnational in nature. In the future, we will continue to improve our identification systems to identify victims and to protect them, to increase social service access, and to carry on training law enforcement agents. Thank you.

Can I add from the Ministry of Interior? This law on countering human trafficking was developed by the Ministry of Interior. In it, the understanding, the concept of human trafficking and exploitation has been brought into line with international standards. In the criminal code, we have a new category of crimes linked to human trafficking. We have expanded the definition to cover contemporary forms of exploitation, including those using digital technologies. We've also carried out broad-ranging awareness-raising campaigns. We have published material and we have carried out campaigns broadly on different media. We've used internet resources for this. and many of these are focused on the dissemination of ***********. And we've also focused on protecting children. We have blocked different internet sites for ***********. As of the 1st of July this year, we've introduced the institution of a national reporter on this subject, focusing on preventing the crimes, awareness-raising and then prosecuting those responsible. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:16:55]:

Thank you very much. I'd like to open the floor for follow-up questions on article 5 and 6. I can give the floor to Mrs. Stuti Bhojar first, and then please.


CEDAW · Expert [2:17:11]:

Thank you, Chair, and I thank the honourable delegation for those answers. Could I just reiterate my question around clarifying the age of marriage? Is it 18 or are there exceptions in the case of pregnancy and childbirth, so it's 16? want to acknowledge the answer on shelters and I just wondered if the State Party did provide statistics on the unmet demand for shelters. I also acknowledge the response to my question from Head of Delegation regarding the, you're not needing a complaint from the victim in order to pursue a prosecution. And I'm just wondering how many prosecutions without a complaint have gone ahead. But it would be interesting to have those outcomes of the cases, including in any cases where there is a discontinuance. Of course, we welcome any reduction in figures when it comes to reports of violence against women in particular, and we commend you on your awareness campaigns and your work on stereotypes, but again, I just want to make sure that there is not a level of underreporting that is not necessarily considered in some of those prevalence discussions. I note one of the responses related to a drop in killings. I just want to clarify, was that femicide and was that in relation to intimate partner violence? Very glad to hear the work that's going on with Germany, Spain and Sweden regarding consent. Glad to hear that there's a reduction in bride kidnapping and I commend that work. Finally, I want to put the case for why we have asked about the domestic violence-specific case code. While I recognise the work that you are doing in order to reduce domestic violence, there is something about a specific offence in law that recognises the very special pattern and cumulative impact of abuse, including coercive control. So it's not only about acts of violence per se, but it's about recognising those special cycles of power, control and abuse that are within relationships. So I'm not denying or doubting the good intent of the State Party. I just want to ask you to consider the specificities around domestic violence, which are not necessarily covered by the offence that deals with both psychological and economic violence in your act.


CEDAW · Chair [2:19:45]:

I give the floor to Ms. Toledo-Pacelli-Vasquez, followed by Ms. Acker.


CEDAW · Expert [2:19:56]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and my thanks to the delegation for the information that they have provided about combating human trafficking and in particular trafficking in women and girls. I'd just like to ask whether you have information, specific information, about what I had asked about, namely the existence of a unified and comparable information system that would make it possible to ensure follow-up between recorded cases identified victims, victims who receive specialized services, judicial proceedings and convictions, and whether there is any way to leverage the state's existing digital infrastructure to do this. I'd also like to know what are you trying to do in order to prevent deportation of of undocumented migrant women, leading to these women being victims of trafficking? And also, how do you explicitly guarantee free legal aid for victims and for an explicit inclusion in the law of the principle of not punishing a victim for acts committed under duress? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:21:13]:

Thank you very much. Mrs. Hacker, please.


CEDAW · Expert [2:21:17]:

Chair, I want to address one of the statistics in the brochure that you have provided us this morning. It goes back to stereotypes, and I think it affects several of the articles that we are going to discuss today. Under motherhood and health, there is a statistics that almost a quarter of a million of women in your country have been given prizes for delivering more than six and more than seven children. And I wish to ask how is that corresponds with your efforts to combat stereotypes about the role of women in your country? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:21:54]:

Thank you, Mrs. Hacker. I would like-- OK, please, the country rapporteur, follow-up question.


CEDAW · Country Rapporteur [2:22:04]:

Dear Chair, thank you very much, dear delegation members, for your answers. What about cyber crimes and technology-facilitated violence, especially against women and girls, which is very important, because there are no criminalization of cyber violence, especially cyberbullying or cyber trafficking issues in your legislation. Do plan after the adoption new constitution to do it and what kind of measures are already done for the preparation National legislation act on this point because you're developing AI generated legislation you are preparing cyber security commonly investigation process directly internally but uh we have for example as an online digital violence, domestic violence cases, cyber security cases, which are under the risks. That's why when you're developing from the one hand, very good, very positive last side in the regional level on the AI and the digital architecture of the Kazakhstan for the economical, for the safety of the country. What about the human rights, especially on women's rights and child rights, legislation in penal code and the criminalization policy? Thank you very much, Rahman.


CEDAW · Chair [2:23:22]:

Thank you, Mr. Safarov. By asking the delegation to answer this follow-up question, I really would like them to manage very tightly the time and to give me back the floor when everyone has intervened, because I'm not ever sure when there would be more additional, so that we have a smooth continuation, because we'd like to aim at covering Article 7 and 8 and 9 before the lunch break. It is important for the rest of the dialogue. Please, you have the floor.


Kazakhstan [2:23:59]:

Mr. Safarov, allow me to begin about the digital sphere. I represent the Ministry of Culture and Information. Very briefly, in our legislation, we already foresee liability for bullying, cyberbullying, including against minors. in the code of administrative offenses, it is included. How is this sanctioned today if the victim is a minor or in particular a girl under 18? So, first of all, there's a warning or a fine, that's the first measure to the tune of 10 monthly units. If there is a repeat offense within a year, then the fine is tripled and if the minor If a minor commits bullying against another minor, the parents are held liable. Those measures are already enshrined in our legislation and are very much up and working. I will ask the prosecutor general to respond to the question about the integrated system that makes it possible to monitor follow-up.

Good morning, colleagues. Thank you for giving me the floor. I represent the Office of the Prosecutor General. We have a committee on statistics within the office, which forms all the legal basis, starting from the registration, the recording of information, which is then taken to the next level. when we determine whether it is an administrative offence or a criminal offence. From the moment when a complaint report arrives, so it can be from the victim themselves, or it can be a report or a complaint from the mass media, or from the relevant organizations or bodies, so a polyclinic, for instance, a hospital where a patient arrives with certain injuries. We can also get witness accounts, neighbors accounts and so on. Once the information is received, the police take the necessary measures. So they go out and have a look, they document the events, they determine who the witnesses are. According to the policy that is pursued by our head of government, we have a process for collecting and recording evidence, both for administrative offenses and for criminal offenses, and all of this is digitalized. All of the acts that are carried out by the police or the Office of the Prosecutor General or the courts is recorded in our electronic databases. These databases meet the requirements of the Code of Administrative Offences and also the Code of Criminal Offences, and we meet the standards for the confidentiality of investigations, the non-dissemination of intimate or private data. Parties to legal proceedings can be appraised of the information where necessary. So we have an electronic database where all the information is recorded and it is not an interference with this is prohibited and indeed prosecuted. So, from the moment the information arrives to the final procedural decision on both administrative and criminal cases, the whole process is digital. This is done to ensure full accountability. It's also done for international and interstate statistics. It's used to determine, for instance, the commissions of crimes, the consequences thereof, and to determine what follow-up should be given vis-a-vis the persons who have committed the offenses. On marital age, I'd like to ask the Minister of Justice, please.


Kazakhstan · Deputy Director [2:29:07]:

I represent the Ministry of Justice, and I'm the deputy director of my unit. I'd like to respond to the question about the age for registration of marriage. The Republic of Kazakhstan foresees a minimum legal age of marriage of 18, but there some reasons, for instance, if there is pregnancy or the birth of a joint child, that allow for the age to be lowered. But this is only done with the consent of the people entering into the marriage, or if the marriage is between people who are under 18, then there has to be their parents' consent. Thank you.


Speaker 61 [2:29:56]:

on the protection of undocumented migrant women. Who can provide a response? The Ministry for Labour, please.


Kazakhstan [2:30:10]:

Good morning, I represent the Ministry for Labour. To date, In Kazakhstan, to date, migrants... Just a moment, please. On the 1st of October in our country, we have estimated labor activity to be over We have estimated there to be over 1,800 women. Labour migrants are protected by the labour code and in accordance with the specific legislative measures, the social code also applies. and the social code also provides for special social services to be provided. Moreover, according to Article 18 of the relevant law, they have a right to turn to a court or to appeal to the ombudsperson. Thank you.

On awards for mothers of many children. I come from the National Commission on Women. We do have, indeed, in Kazakhstan, a form of encouragement for women who have many children. More than 630,000 large families exist in Kazakhstan, and there are measures of support provided to families with or more children. If a woman has six children, she receives a silver pendant award, and if a mother has born and brought up more than seven children, then she gets a gold pendant award. This is done on the basis of research, because the more children there are in a family, then the more the family tends to be the victim of poverty, the level of per capita income is lower, and this explains the support provided by the state to families who voluntarily entered into that family format. The large families in Kazakhstan tend to be more at risk, they tend to be more vulnerable. Another fact is that if you look at the World Values Survey, then in Kazakhstan, the family is the top value in Kazakhstan. So another reason for this award is to support the family in that regard as well.


CEDAW · Chair [2:33:23]:

Thank you very much. I would like now, with your permission, also to move to Part 2 of the Convention and have the article 7 and 8 will be addressed by Mrs. Rana, followed by article 9, which will be addressed by Mrs. Reddock. Mrs. Rana, you have the floor for five minutes, please.


CEDAW · Expert [2:33:48]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and I join my colleagues in welcoming the high-level delegation of Kazakhstan to this constructive dialogue. I also join my colleagues in expressing my appreciation to Kazakhstan for Ms. Zarbussynova's valuable contribution to the Committee's work. As mentioned by the Chair, I will address articles 7 and 8. The data presented by the delegation on women's representation across different sectors in your opening statement, as well as the very nice brochure provided, are very, very encouraging. And we recognize Kazakhstan's efforts, including the introduction of gender quotas and initiatives to strengthen women's participation and leadership However, the committee remains concerned that formal commitments and improvements in numerical representation have not yet translated into equal and effective participation, particularly at the highest levels of decision making and leadership, as also acknowledged in your earlier response. The increase in women's representation to 33.8 per cent following the introduction of the 30 per cent quota demonstrates that targeted measures can produce tangible results. But we have spoken much about the quota under Article 4, and I will not talk much about it. But I want to draw your attention to the fact that quota should not be seen as a ceiling, but as a minimum floor from which to progressively move towards substantive parity in line with the principles reflected in CEDAW General Recommendation No. 14. I have a few questions in this regard. First, considering that specific and focused policies will ensure tangible result, as already demonstrated, would Kazakhstan reconsider treating gender equality as a distinct policy priority, rather than primarily subsuming it under family policy, with clear institutional responsibility, adequate resources, measurable indicators, and accountability mechanisms? Second, what concrete measures will Kazakhstan take to ensure the effective enforcement and monitoring of gender quotas, including within political parties, electoral processes, and appointments to senior public positions? You did earlier mention that national and local women's commissions monitor gender integration approaches. Are these commissions autonomous, and do they also monitor the compliance to quota systems? It's time for Kazakhstan, I think, to lead in the region. I would like to know if you will consider introducing measurable targets for progressing towards 50/50 parity, including in senior executive positions, the public service, and at regional and local levels. Women's access to elected office also depends on how candidates are selected and seats are allocated within political parties. What mechanisms are in place to ensure transparent and gender-responsive candidate selection and allocation of party list seats and equal opportunities for women to secure electable positions? My other concern relates to women's representation in international public life, particularly the diplomatic service. We note that women remain significantly underrepresented among Kazakhstan's ambassadors. In your opening statement, you informed that there are currently four women ambassadors and I think that is out of more than 70 ambassadors. This represents a very low level of representation. What measures, including a clear timeline, will the State Party take to ensure women's equal access to senior diplomatic positions, including ambassadorial appointments and permanent representation to international organizations? How many women currently serve as heads of delegation and chief negotiators, and how many women has Kazakhstan nominated or appointed to senior positions in international organizations? My other concern relates to rural women. Leadership and capacity building programs appear to remain predominantly urban centered. Women living in rural and remote areas may face multiple and intersecting barriers, including patriarchal attitudes, limited access to political networks and resources, inadequate infrastructure, and fewer opportunities to participate in political processes. How does the State Party intend to ensure that rural women, including women facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, are systematically included in political leadership programmes, electoral processes and decision-making at local and national levels? Finally, my concern is regarding the availability of reliable, comprehensive and sufficiently disaggregated data. To assess substantive equality, we need to be able to follow the entire political pathway of women. What measures will you undertake to establish a comprehensive and publicly accessible system for collecting and regularly publishing comparable sex-disaggregated data on women's political participation and leadership at all levels of governance, including political parties, the civil service, and the diplomatic service? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:38:57]:

Thank you very much, Mrs. Rana. I give the floor now to Mrs. Reddock to address article 9, also for five minutes.


CEDAW · Expert [2:39:08]:

Distinguished delegation, thanks so much for being here this morning and for engaging with us. The Committee welcomes the 2019 and 2020 legislative and constitutional amendments, which seek to ensure birth registration for all children born in Kazakhstan, regardless of their parents' status, and the introduction of a national statelessness determination mechanism. Despite this, however, several constitutional provisions still restrict the enjoyment of certain rights to women and girls of the State party. For example, the current Code on Marriage and Family, as I understand and I stand to be corrected, lacks specific legal provisions for registering the birth of a child born outside a medical institution when the parents lack identity documents. I understand that there are recent provisions that assist parents to access those identity documents, even though they are legally not allowed to access a medical institution, but you could explain more about that. As a result, those children cannot be registered and do not receive birth certificates. Lack of access to birth registration, as we know, increases the risk of statelessness and creates barriers for these undocumented children, who did not ask to be born, to access free medical services, including mandatory vaccinations and education. The absence of explicit legislative safeguards guaranteeing birth registration regardless of parental legal status or nationality exacerbates vulnerabilities of children born to mothers and parents with irregular migration status, persons with undetermined nationality, and those seeking to reacquire citizenship, as in cases of marriage or dissolution of unions. Can the State Party, therefore, confirm, first of all, whether it has ratified the 1954 Convention related to the status of stateless persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, and if so, are there plans to domesticate these conventions into local legislation? In light of continued challenges with birth registration, meanwhile, and the State Party's commitment to non-discrimination based on nationality, Is there a time frame for the introduction of legislation aligned with the definition of statelessness in the 1954 and 1961 UN Conventions and in keeping with international customary law? Could the State Party consider amending national legislation to allow recognized refugees to apply for naturalization after a reasonable period of residence? in line with Article 34 of the 1951 Convention? And could procedures be simplified and made more accessible, with particular attention to the needs of refugee women and their families, in order to better fulfill state obligations towards Article 2, 9, and 15 of the CERD Convention? In light of these continued challenges in birth registration, despite changes in legislation, Would the state party consider strengthening interagency collaboration and establishing clear action plans to improve implementation of the amended legislation and the constitutional changes which currently exist to address the systematic barriers faced by children of undocumented and marginalized women, mothers, and parents? And generally, how can the State Party ensure the equal enjoyment of rights for all women and girls, irrespective of their nationality, citizenship, or migration status? Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:43:34]:

I would like now to give back the floor to the delegation to answer these questions, please.


Kazakhstan [2:43:42]:

I would.

Like To start to respond to Ms. Rana's questions on a lack of representation of women in political life, that is indeed the case. Currently, in the Parliament, there are the national quotas and you know full well, we've already given you the statistics as well, that there's now 34% of all members of the Parliament who are women. That's the maximum we've ever achieved. It's a first for us. But you are completely correct that quotas are just a minimum. In addition, we need to establish a system through which women can develop their political activities. You asked what monitoring mechanisms we have for the quota. Well, we have quite serious ones. The quotas are monitored not only through the law on political parties, but the law on elections as well. The Central Electoral Commission, when it looks at the list of candidates for the post of member of the Parliament, look at the quotas and compliance with them. As concerns other spheres of state service of civil servants, there are programmes and a roadmap, indeed, to promote women to decision-making leadership roles. At the level of companies, with a state component. There are quotas as well. Their goal is to achieve 33% of women in leadership roles, decision making roles. So they're part of that roadmap. For there to be transparency in all political parties, we don't have too many at the moment. There's six political parties. There women associations or women circles, and they monitor representation of women in the leadership of political parties and in state institutions. So that's a brief answer on participation of women. Then, on your question on rural women at the local level, there are no quotas there. The elections to the rural leadership, to the mayors, happen on a first past the post basis, but there's no discrimination. Any woman can submit their documents, can take part in elections, stand in elections, if they meet the requirements set down by legislation, which are minimal ones. As I said previously, we are really focusing on encouraging women to be part of political parties, to be part of NGOs and working really with the civil society sector on this. And then we had questions as well, I think, on representation of women in diplomacy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please. I represent the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Kazakhstan · Ambassador at Large [2:47:09]:

Ambassador at Large, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. So women play a significant leadership role across Kazakhstan's foreign service. As mentioned by our head of delegation, there are some good examples. For example, for instance, we had three female ambassadors served as permanent representatives to the United Nations in New York, and one of them, your dearest colleague, Madam Ambassador Zharbosynova. now presiding in this committee. And one ambassador was permanent representative to the UN office in Geneva. And currently, as mentioned by Mr. Kochetov, four women serve as ambassadors and one as a consul general in San Francisco. Regarding the women's representation at the headquarters, Minister of Foreign Affairs, this figure has reached 40% nowadays. And there are some important areas led by women. So just to name some, for example, Ambassador Amanjolova leads for many years the negotiating process to on border issues with neighboring countries. Mrs. Zhana Silyova, Deputy Head of President's Office, is a chief negotiator for transport and logistics at the global level from Kazakhstan. And finally, just to name Mrs. Zulfia Sulemova, former Minister of Ecology and a member of the Parliament. Now she's in charge of environmental and climate issues at the international level from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is just a few examples to name now what I remember. Thank you.


Kazakhstan [2:49:11]:

Then on Ms. Redox's questions, the Ministry of Justice will reply.


Kazakhstan · Deputy Director [2:49:17]:

Deputy Director of the Department of International Law, Ministry of Justice. Pursuant to the Code on Family and Marriage, The birth registration is done on the basis of a medical certificate. Pursuant to our law, we added in a provision saying that state registration is possible for children who were born outside of medical institutions, and we have a code which contains this provision. Pursuant to this law, we have a larger list of documents which are permitted for the registration of children, in particular provided for the possibility of presenting documents issued by the competent authorities of most of from different states with copies of the birth registration as well. And this is in the code on family and marriages. Timely state registration of births for those born outside medical establishments and for undocumented mothers is possible through this and irrespective of citizenship and nationality or the status of the parents, birth registration could be carried out also for refugee children and if there is justification provided for registration as a result, state registration which is a document, which is considered an official document confirming the state registration has taken place. And then on migration, Minister of the Interior, the law on registration of children of refugees and migrants is pursuant to the law on nationality and citizenship of Kazakhstan. We are working actively to reduce statelessness. So pursuant to the law on citizenship, any child born within the territory of Kazakhstan to stateless parents automatically receives the citizenship of Kazakhstan. If this takes place outside a medical establishment, this is on the basis of the medical certificate confirming the fact of the birth. And otherwise, this is there is a court act which is the basis for the registration. And this has solved the problem of home births. And this is irrespective of whether the parents are married or not. A child born outside a marriage can be registered by one of the parents or on the mother's application. On stateless persons, currently in Kazakhstan, we have some 5,800 stateless persons. To eradicate statelessness is essential so that we can make sure that we have all rights and freedoms enjoyed, including freedom of movement and the right to travel. And so, this is also governed by the law on citizenship. Every year, We give citizenship to some 2,000 status persons, and some 21,000 children have received citizenship, and women through simplified procedure. I would note that any cases of refusal to provide for refugee or stateless persons to receive our citizenship have not occurred. Could you pass out the information?


Kazakhstan · Vice Minister [2:53:28]:

Manas Ruzanov, Vice Minister.

I am Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan. For about two and a half months now, we have had a simplified procedure for home births. If the mother does not have a document for her identity, the mother can register the child and this is upon the mother's confirmation of the notification of why and the fact that the state registration of the birth is free of charge. Foreign citizens and status persons can receive free medical assistance that depends on their legal status. And undocumented children with unregulated legal status have access to the full range of basic health care and also immunizations. So this is dealt with separately. Once the child's identity has been determined. For children, first and foremost, we're guided by the need to ensure the good health and to carry out immunization. So we have a vaccination program for 21 different vaccinations. Then free medical assistance for stateless persons. depends upon their legal status. Those who are permanent residents, stateless persons, refugees and foreign citizens have the right to free healthcare on the same level as Kazakh citizens, but those persons who are seeking asylum have guaranteed medical assistance if they fall ill of a life-threatening condition and if there's anything which could harm others and this is done pursuant to international treaties and agreements and the temporary residents are provided with emergency care if they're injured or also if they are pregnant and giving birth they receive urgent care The key question today is identification of children and registering them with medical establishments and to make sure that there is insurance coverage or the legal basis to get them free care. Thank you. On issue of the ratification of the Convention, Minister of Foreign Affairs.


Kazakhstan · Ambassador at Large [2:56:39]:

To the question of Madam Redo on plans to exceed the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons and the 1961 Convention on the reduction of statelessness, I'd like to say that Kazakhstan's domestic legal framework substantially reflects the core objectives and the safeguards of both statelessness conventions. Under the law on citizenship, under the law on the legal status of foreigners, permanently residing stateless persons enjoy equal rights in education, health care and employment. To prevent childhood statelessness, national legislation provides targeted safeguards, ensuring that children born on the territory of Kazakhstan to permanently residing stateless persons or to unknown parents automatically acquire Kazakhstani citizenship. And I'd like to note here that, as mentioned by our head of delegation, as a result of these operations, bringing back the children from Middle East countries, the children, they have been provided all these citizenship of Kazakhstan. This is a unique case in international history, actually. And this is reinforced, these measures are reinforced by universal proactive birth registration, ensuring documentation for every newborn, regardless of parental legal status. In close partnership with the UNHCR office and the civil society under the global I Belong campaign, Kazakhstan amended its migration legislation to establish a formal statelessness determination procedure through which over 1,600 individuals have been identified and documented. Furthermore, equal nationality rights and safeguards against arbitrary deprivation of nationality are legally binding on Kazakhstan through our ratified commitments under Article 24 of the ICCPR, Article 9 of CEDAW, and Article 7 and 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Thus, the rights of stateless persons are adequately governed by national legislation. And, of course, the matter of accession is still under consideration in partnership with international organizations. Thank you.


CEDAW · Chair [2:59:04]:

Thank you. Thank you all very much. 00 p.m., which is the time by which the interpreter will have to take a break for lunch. So I see that there's only one question of follow-up. Oh, I see there are two questions of follow-up. So maybe what we can do, with the permission of the interpreter, is just for you to record these two questions And when we come back after lunch, take really the minimum time to answer the follow-up question because we need to move on the other article. So, Mrs. Raddog followed by Mrs. Rana.


CEDAW · Expert [2:59:37]:

Thank you, delegation, for your detailed comments and congratulations on all the mechanisms that you have put in place. From all the reports we have received from various sources and the research we've carried out, it is clear that despite all of these mechanisms, there are still certain challenges in terms of implementation for some persons resident in Kazakhstan. So one of my recommendations was also a structural one to develop enabling mechanisms, in other words, so that various ministries that you have mentioned, which all are in some way related to this can work more closely together in a more interagency way to strengthen collaboration and to establish clear action plans to improve the implementation of all these mechanisms that you've put in place. So what I'm suggesting is that the mechanisms for implementation and to make sure that all of these mechanisms work together among all the various departments should be put in place. and thanks for your responses. I have one other point, Madam Chair. I omitted to acknowledge our dear colleague, Madam Jabu Sinova, and I don't know how I could have forgotten. It is a great pleasure to have you here, Madam. Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [3:01:13]:

Thank you, Mrs. Radok. Ms. Nang, please.


CEDAW · Expert [3:01:17]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I thank the delegation for your responses. Probably 7 and 8 is one of your most glossy responses, with also the brochure and, you know, women's increasing participation in different sectors. Considering Kazakhstan's progressive role in this area, I had suggested a few things. in terms of how to take it much forward, you know, in terms of parity. I hope you will consider that, but that's not my question. My question is about one clarity, because particularly considering that you have increased participation in many areas, rural area, you said there is no quota, maybe you should consider that also to increase rural participation. But the ambassadorial level, I feel, is extremely low, you know, extremely low. So that's an area that you really need to work on. And one clarity, you know, respected delegate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you said something about 40%. Is this 40% women's participation in the ministry? I wasn't so very clear about it. So if you could clarify that. And another, I did not hear anything on whether there is a system to collect data on women's participation in different sectors at different levels, or will you consider introducing this data? Because I did not hear anything about data. Thank you very much.


CEDAW · Chair [3:02:36]:

Thank you both for your questions. Unfortunately, we cannot have the pleasure of listening to the answers before lunch. We will take the answers immediately after lunch, because the interpreter cannot be held hostage for more than five minutes. I thank the interpreter, and I wish everyone a good lunch break. We will meet here at 3 pm sharp. Thank you. We need to have some announcement from the Secretariat for the lunchtime meeting, the room number, et cetera.


CEDAW · Secretariat [3:03:07]:

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair.

So the private lunchtime briefing on Cook Islands will take place from 1:45 to 2:45 in room.

S1, which is in the S2 building.

And the S2 building is opposite SAFI. And the meeting room is on the ground floor of that building, S2 opposite SAFI. Thank you.