Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Byubyusara Ryskulova, Honorary President of the Sezim (Feeling) Crisis Center, has been helping women and children affected by violence for over 30 years. She participated in the ongoing 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where representatives from over 100 countries are discussing access to justice and the protection of women's rights.
"My work has been connected to the topic discussed at this session for over 30 years," says Ryskulova. "We have a very representative delegation: at the level of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ombudsman, the Deputy Prosecutor General, the Supreme Court, and ministries. I was the only representative of civil society. For me, this is an opportunity to learn about the experiences of other countries. You hear a lot of criticism in your own country, but you still learn a lot by comparing."
According to the human rights activist, Kyrgyzstan has made significant progress in this area, but problems still remain.
The Sezim Crisis Center is one of the first in the region. It was established in 1998, when the very idea of helping victims of violence was new to the country. Prior to that, Ryskulova worked at another center, Umut (Hope).
According to her, the decision to dedicate herself to this work arose after a trip to the United States in the late 1990s.
"People often ask me: Why a crisis center? I answer: I fell into this field by accident. In 1998, the four of us were invited to the United States on an exchange program; we traveled to about seven states. It was the first time I saw how the aid system worked. Before, we hadn't even talked about it out loud. When they started teaching us what a public organization, what an NGO, was, I studied like a schoolgirl: everything was new and very interesting. But even then, I knew that our problems were very deep."
Even today, she says, discussing violence openly can be difficult.
"Since the early 1990s, religiosity has increased here; sometimes people perceive many things through religion. There's been a certain backsliding on some issues of women's rights. For example, in the village where I come from, there's one school and two mosques. And in a short period of time, religiosity has grown significantly. That's why talking about violence can still be difficult."
UN News
Bubusara Ryskulova, honorary president of the crisis center "Sezim".
Nevertheless, there has been progress. In 2003, Kyrgyzstan was one of the first countries in the post-Soviet space to adopt a law on domestic violence, following a campaign by public organizations and a signature drive. It was updated in 2017.
"We wouldn't complain at the legislative level," says Ryskulova. "But the law is one thing, and its implementation is another. That's why we're now working more on the ground, protecting specific individuals. We have a shelter, and our specialists have been working there for over 30 years. I myself earned a second degree—as a practicing psychologist. And now I often represent victims in court. Our law allows you to do this by proxy, even if you're not a lawyer."
According to her, sometimes it is precisely these types of cases that become resonant and help change the system.
"In recent years, our organization has handled about 40 court cases, and nearly 90 percent of the rulings were in favor of the victims. These were very serious cases—murders, rapes. We work and then raise public awareness. But if a woman doesn't want publicity, we maintain complete anonymity," the human rights activist explains.
Today, the situation is gradually changing in the professional sphere as well. While in the early 1990s, there were almost no practicing psychologists in the country, they are now being trained at many universities.
But the beginning was very difficult – especially when the first hotline appeared.
"When we opened the helpline, we just sat and waited to see if they'd call. And for a long time, no one called. When the first call finally came, they told me to pick it up myself. I had almost no experience, and my hands were shaking. But that's how we got started," Ryskulova recalls.
International cooperation, including with UN agencies, played a major role in the development of crisis centers. Ryskulova recalls that one of the first partner organizations was the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"That's where I first heard about sexual slavery. I said, 'What are you even talking about?' And then we opened a hotline specifically for this topic. I remember one of the first girls—a minor, pregnant. I met her at the airport myself. She said she didn't want to live, that she would commit suicide if she had this child. We literally had to stand by her hospital bedside to make sure she didn't harm herself," the human rights activist recounts.
Today, the Sezim Center continues to work with UN agencies such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN Women.
"This is very important to us – sharing experiences, training specialists, and joint projects. Platforms like the session of the Commission on the Status of Women provide an opportunity to see what's happening in the world and what we still need to learn," says Ryskulova.
Despite decades of work and significant changes, Ryskulova is confident that helping victims still requires daily effort.
"Seminars and trainings are important, prevention is important. But if even one person who has suffered remains unprotected, it means we haven't done everything we need to," she says.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
