\n<\/p>\n
B\u00fcbyusara Ryskulova has been on the frontlines for more than three decades. Honourary president of the crisis centre Sezim<\/em> (which means \u201cfeeling\u201d), she has worked towards helping women and children who survived violence.<\/p>\n While Kyrgyzstan has made significant progress in strengthening protections against domestic and family violence, challenges remain, she told UN News<\/em> during the recent Commission on the Status of Women session (CSW70) at UN Headquarters in New York, where representatives from more than 100 countries discuss access to justice and the protection of women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n \u201cMy work has been connected to the very topic discussed at this session for more than 30 years,\u201d said Ms. Ryskulova, who was the only civil society representative in a \u201cvery strong delegation\u201d that included the deputy prime minister, ombudsperson, deputy prosecutor general, Supreme Court and various ministries.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s a chance to see how other countries work,\u201d she said. \u201cAt home, you hear a lot of criticism, but still, comparison puts things into perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Ryskulova said she \u201ccame into this by accident\u201d, explaining that her decision to dedicate herself to this work was inspired by a previous visit to the United States in 1998, when an exchange programme brought her to seven states to learn about ways to address domestic violence.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw for the first time how a support system actually functions,\u201d Ms. Ryskulova said. \u201cBack home, no one even talked about these issues out loud. When they started teaching us what a public organization is, what an NGO [non-governmental organization] is, I was learning like a schoolgirl. Everything was new and very interesting. But, even then, I knew how deep our problems were.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the first crisis centres in the region, Sezim<\/em> was founded in 1998, at a time when the very idea of helping survivors of violence was new to the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even today, speaking openly about domestic violence can still be difficult, Ms. Ryskulova said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the early 1990s, there\u2019s been a noticeable rise in religiousness, and sometimes people interpret many issues through the lens of religion,\u201d she said. \u201cFor example, in the village where I\u2019m from, there is one school and two mosques. So, talking about violence can still be hard, and in some areas of women\u2019s rights, there has been a certain rollback.\u201d<\/p>\n The early days were incredibly tough, especially when the first hotline was launched, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we opened the hotline, we just sat there waiting. Will anyone call? And for a long time, no one did,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the first call finally came, they said, \u2018take it\u2019. I had almost no experience. My hands were shaking, but that\u2019s how we started.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n B\u00fcb\u00fcsara Ryskulova, honourary president of the Sezim Crisis Centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Progress is undeniable. The professional landscape is slowly changing. While the country had almost no practicing psychologists in the early 1990s, now many universities train them.<\/p>\n After a civil society campaign and a major petition drive, in 2003, Kyrgyzstan became one of the first post\u2011Soviet countries to adopt a law on family violence, with legislative updates adopted in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the legislative level, we really can\u2019t complain,\u201d Ms. Ryskulova said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, the law is one thing, and its implementation is another. That\u2019s why now we work more on the ground, protecting specific people. We have a shelter, and our specialists have been working for more than 30 years. I received a second degree myself, as a practical psychologist and today I often represent survivors\u2019 interests in court. Our law allows that, through a power of attorney, even if you\u2019re not a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes, she says, these cases become high\u2011profile and help push the system forward.<\/p>\n \u201cIn recent years, our organization has handled around 40 court cases, and almost 90 per cent of the decisions were in favor of the survivors. These were very difficult cases [including] murders, rapes. We work on them, and then we raise public awareness. If a woman doesn\u2019t want publicity, we protect her anonymity completely.\u201d<\/p>\n International cooperation, including with UN agencies, played a major role in the development of crisis centres in Kyrgyzstan, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) being one of their earliest partners.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where I first heard the term \u2018sexual slavery\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we opened a hotline specifically for that issue. I remember one of the first girls was underage and pregnant. I met her at the airport myself. She said she didn\u2019t want to live, that she would end her life if the baby was born. We had to take turns sitting by her hospital bed so she wouldn\u2019t harm herself.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2018I knew how deep our problems were\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2018Rollback\u2019 of women\u2019s rights<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tough start<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Progress is undeniable<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tackling threats like sexual slavery<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Helping survivors requires daily effort<\/strong><\/h2>\n