Many women in Kazakhstan are currently victims of domestic violence and some of them die as a result of their partners' actions, however, only 7% of the victims report their abuse to the authorities. Many incidences of domestic abuse go unnoticed, owing to a variety of causes and the perpetrators go unpunished. The goal of this research is to raise public awareness about the scope of the problem and to identify the reasons and perceptions that aggravate it. This study focuses on how society influences the impunity of such incidents, in particular. Several individuals were interviewed to see if Kazakhstan's society has an impact on the impunity of domestic abuse cases, while others were surveyed. Respondents can be divided into two groups: adults and teenagers. The findings totally supported my hypothesis: society and government have an impact on both victim perception and tyrant impunity, indicating that domestic abuse is widespread and both authorities and community need to unite to stop intimate partner violence as it detrimentally affects women and children.

Keywords: domestic violence, impunity, society, influence, victims, perpetrators, perception, police.

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background

One of the most serious and global problems that adversely affects women’s lives and well-being around the world is domestic violence against women. Domestic violence, also called “domestic abuse” or “intimate partner violence”, can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner (United Nations, n.d.). According to the World Health Organization (2021), “violence against women has significant short-, medium, long-term effects on the physical and mental health of women, children and families” (p.8). Not all manipulative relationships involve only physical injuries. There are several categories of abusive behavior, each of which has its own devastating consequences (“Types of Domestic Violence”, n.d.). Emotional abuse, sexual abuse and intimidation, verbal and economic abuse, isolation and control are common everywhere. Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2017), in the report about violence against women, noted that:

Physical violence means physically aggressive acts, including strokes, slaps, kicks, beating, burns and use of weapons. Emotional violence includes regular humiliation and insulted dignity, tight isolation or belittling treatment. Coercion to sex or sexual violence means sexual harassment, sexual touches against partner's will, forced sex and forced pregnancy. (p.2)

These violent actions impact all women across the whole world, regardless of race, class, age and ethnicity. The data collected by WHO (2021) indicated that about 1 in 3 of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime (para.2), which is the leading cause of homicide death among females.

1.2 Problem Statement

Every year about hundreds of women die because of their own partners (Human Rights Watch, 2019). More than 2 million suffered domestic abuse in Kazakhstan in 2019: 45% of them were subjected to psychological abuse, 20%- physical abuse (Sultan, 2020). The union of Crisis Centers (2017) reports that family abuse takes place in one out of every eight families in Kazakhstan (para. 7). Zulfia Baisakova (2019), the Head of the organization, said that they annually receive about 14.000 calls regarding intimate partner violence (para. 7). According to the Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2017), “17 percent of all women ages 18-75 have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former husband or partner” (p. 15). One of the most detrimental perspectives that has an impact on domestic violence impunity is injustice in law. Law is unjust as in 2017 domestic abuse was removed from the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan, while the public fund “NeMolchi” (2017) found that monthly 120 rapes, 5232 beatings, 72 injuries, 14 murders and 48 suicides of women were registered in the country (as cited in Zhapisheva, 2020, para. 1). Particularly, during COVID-19 exposure domestic violence cases intensified by 20-25% and 42.000 hotline calls were received (Almukhanbetkyzy & Eaton, 2020). At the same time, domestic abuse in the US has been recognized as a national crime since 1996 (“Federal Domestic Violence Laws”, 2020) and many studies are deeply being conducted about these cases, for instance, research by Worden and Carlson (2005) reveals substantial complexity among beliefs, regarding partner abuse. According to the research (2005), “the most commonly mentioned causes (based on the nine categories) were work-related or financial stress (37%), substance abuse (30%), anger and loss of control (28%), relationship problems (20%), early exposure to family violence (17%), adultery or jealousy (15%), and perpetrators’ mental health problems (14%)” (p. 1227). There is not any sufficient research about causes in Kazakhstan, relating to family abuse and only 7% of victims address the police (“Kazakhstan: Domestic Violence Complaints Doubled, but Nowhere to Run From the Abuser”, 2020).

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The aim of the study is to explore individuals’ perceptions and attitudes toward domestic violence and analyze public understandings of root causes of intimate partner abuse.

1.4 Research questions

How does society in Kazakhstan affect domestic violence impunity and its annual growth within the country?
Why domestic violence should be stopped?

1.5 Significance

This research will be meaningful to all women and their families as domestic violence is a serious crime that should not be punishable with a warning. Victims suffer on many levels, living in a very shadow of fear and lose freedom to continue their lives as they might wish to choose, so women can be confident that they will be offered protection and places of refuge and that perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice. Also, the study is crucial for supporting new laws against domestic violence as acceptance of amendments and the effectiveness of public prevention depend on people’s beliefs and perceptions.

1.6 Conclusion

In this chapter, I attempt a reply to the question why I conduct research that relates to domestic violence in Kazakhstan. I constructed background information, statements of the problem, the aim of the research, research questions and its entire significance. Further, more information, data analysis and major findings will be sequentially presented in the next chapters: context, methods, analysis and results, conclusion, evaluation and literature.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

This paper is concerned with the teenagers’ and adults’ attitudes and understandings of the influence of intimate partner violence on women’s lives. Perspectives of the annual increase in violence towards females are directly linked to human beings’ perceptions and the lack of legal protection of women in Kazakhstan. Women's violence is a severe human rights violation as well as a global public health issue. In order for the reader to become more familiar with the research conducted on this problem, this chapter is divided into four main sections: the reasons and beliefs of men’s abusive behavior, signs of abuse, violence and its major consequences and measures taken by authorities.

2.2 The reasons and beliefs of men’s abusive behavior

Given the recent discussion about the rise in domestic abuse cases in Kazakhstan, it is critical to investigate the core causes and public perceptions of domestic violence against women from various perspectives.

Worden and Carlson (2005), in their close-ended survey note that:

First, one half of respondents agreed that abusive behavior is unlikely to change and is likely to escalate from verbal to physical aggression over time. These beliefs are modestly associated with each other; and nearly one third of respondents agreed with both of these statements. Second, most people agreed that personality characteristics and substance abuse are associated with violence, and two thirds agreed that society socializes boys to be aggressive. However, an equally substantial majority of respondents concurred with the statement that some fights are started by women, and nearly one half agreed that women’s treatment of men accounts for “some violence.” Furthermore, nearly one in four agreed that some women want to be abused, and nearly two thirds believed that women can exit violent relationships “if they really wanted to.” More than one third agreed that violence is often a “normal reaction to day-to-day stress and frustration.” These results suggest that while most people agree that violence is associated with documented risk factors, many also attribute some abuse to women’s role in seeking, provoking, and tolerating violence. (p. 10)

Another research by Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan claims that:

Participants identified several factors that they believed could underpin men’s use of violence against women. These included alcohol abuse (almost all victims and male perpetrators mentioned committing violence in a state of intoxication), economic problems and men’s unemployment, resulting in psychological stress and taking it out on women. Participants also believed that violence was an integral element of present culture. Violence is widely demonstrated in movies and even animated cartoons. Participants also discussed the role of childcare and financial stress in relation to experiences of violence. Children in present families do not receive appropriate care because parents have to focus on meeting financial needs for survival, and do not allocate sufficient time to the child-rearing process. Another common opinion is that in some instances women provoke violence or do not have knowledge and skills to resolve and minimize conflicts ending with violence. Only one woman, a victim of domestic violence, in an in-depth interview named dependent position as the cause of violence especially if a woman has to move to the husband’s family. In such instances, it is not only the husband but his parents as well who are the source of violence. Though physical violence is an extreme form, women are also under emotional and moral coercion from their extended families due to large household responsibilities. (p. 40)

The results of these findings imply that there are no any clear explanations why some men mistreat women. The circumstances that contribute to women abuse are complicated and usually intertwined with many other difficulties and that is why should be more analyzed.

2.3 Signs of abuse

Regarding the nature of abusiveness, it is known that there is no detectable personality of an abuser as they are able to act differently or hide their behavior, however, they do often display common characteristics. Bancroft (2002) in his book mentions that “ he is controlling, feels entitled and justified, twists things into their opposites, disrespects his partner and considers himself superior to her, manipulative, strives to have a good public image, confuses love and abuse, denies his abuse.” (p. 157).

Through stories of abused women, he clearly explained abusers’ true thinking. For instance, Bancroft (2002) about control and disrespect remarks that:

Control comes in many different forms. An abusive man often considers it is his right to control where his partner goes, with whom she associates, what she wears, and when she needs to be back home. He therefore feels that she should be grateful for any freedoms that he does choose to grant her.

The abuser tends to see his partner as less intelligent, less competent, less logical, and even less sensitive than he is. Most abusers verbally attack their partners in degrading, revolting ways. They reach for the words that they know are disturbing to women. These words assault her humanity, reducing her to an animal, a nonliving object, or a degraded sexual body. (p. 159)

2.4 Violence and its major consequences

Domestic violence is often the cause of the majority of the traumatic consequences, affecting women’s health, children, family and the whole community. It, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), puts women at risk for physical harm, mental health problems, sexually transmitted illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies on a global scale (Turmen, 1998 as cited in Gretchen & Catherine, 2014). Talking about physical harms, one of the research’s finding noticed that “Women also said that in some instances, physical injuries were so severe that they resulted in disability” (Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2017, p. 42).

2.5 Measures taken by authorities

These days, unfortunately, violence against women is not seen as a priority societal concern in the country. That is considered as less relevant and has a smaller influence on people's lives than other issues, such as national currency depreciation and rising prices. It is worth observing that the police do not always inform women about available services, such as the right to seek shelter or protective order (Human Rights Watch, 2019). Some women claim that police officers frequently applaud their complaints and join forces with their abusers. Domestic violence was abolished from Kazakhstan's penal law in 2017, yet according to the public fund "NeMolchi" (2017), an average of 120 rapes, 5232 beatings, 72 injuries, 14 murders, and 48 suicides of women are reported each month in the country (as cited in Zhapisheva, 2020). Likewise, in Kazakhstan, there is a common view that if an offender has a family member who works in law enforcement or police departments, he will most likely avoid prosecution (Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2013, as cited in Kabylova, 2021). This diminishes any legal responses to cases of violence and abuse, limiting just and effective punishment of aggressors and prompt aid to victims (Potter, 2017; UNFPA Kazakhstan 2011, as cited in Kabylova, 2021).

2.6 Summary

Based on the analyzed literature review, it is obvious that domestic violence towards women is a complex issue that should be concerned. Bancroft (2002) notes the following view toward abusive behavior:

Partner abuse is a cyclone that leaves a swath of destruction behind it as it rips through the lives of women and children: destroyed self-confidence, loss of freedom, stalled progress, fear, bitterness, economic ruin, humiliation, heartbreak, physical injury, ugly custody battles, isolation, wedges driven between mothers and their children, confusion, mistrust between siblings, secrets, lies. No woman should have to live this way. Neither should her children. (p. 895)

Although some studies have attempted to identify the reasons and consequences of domestic violence, this may not be suitable for all countries as intimate partner abuse differs in nations due to multiple factors. That is precisely why understanding domestic violence from a number of viewpoints is critical to the growth and success of social work intervention and treatment options aimed at preventing domestic abuse in Kazakhstan in order to build abuse-free nation.

Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Introduction

The main objective of this chapter is to provide a mixed methodology of the research paper. The study aims to identify adults’ and teenagers’ attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence towards women and analyze what factors affect the growth of this relevant issue. Mixed methodology procedures assist in acquiring a deep understanding of the research problem and gaining more comprehensive and precise answers (Creswell, 2014, p. 535). This section covers the research design and locations, participants, data collecting, data analysis, ethical considerations and the conclusion.

3.2 Research design

The researcher is able to provide the efficiency and reliability of the discoveries by using a mixed research technique (Annan, 2019). Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate the social behavior of certain participants, who are teenagers, adults, school principals through the experiences and the research methods. According to Creswell (2019), both qualitative and quantitative procedures include following benefits that address the research problem: Quantitative data, such as scores on instruments, yield specific numbers that can be statistically analyzed, can produce results to assess the frequency and magnitude of trends, and can provide useful information if you need to describe trends about a large number of people. However, qualitative data, such as open-ended interviews that provide actual words of people in the study, offer many different perspectives on the study topic and provide a complex picture of the situation. (p. 535)

In this way, combining these two methods results in influential mix that definitely exposes diverse perspectives and thoughts of these social groups.

3.3 Research sites

Creswell (2019) in the subsequent sentences stated that:

The strength of this design is that it combines the advantages of each form of data; that is, quantitative data provide for generalizability, whereas qualitative data offer information about the context or setting. This design enables a researcher to gather information that uses the best features of both quantitative and qualitative data collection. (p. 541)

Thus, in order to obtain more detailed qualitative data, the school principals, adults and teenagers were contacted via phone calls or appointments to introduce them with the study purpose and gain permission for interviews, whereas statistical information was acquired via survey sites, where the majority of the opinions were included.

3.4 Participants

The research paper's target audience was mostly high school students, including teenagers, adults, and school principals. Purposive sampling was one of the most relevant sampling methods for this study, since it allowed for the collection of precise and particular knowledge, opinions, and experiences about domestic violence against women by conducting individual interviews. Random sampling was used in conjunction with purposive sampling in order to obtain statistics. This method of selection was useful in examining the participants' various points of views (McCombes, 2019).

3.5 Data Collection

The process of data collection was collected in different ways: the first one by doing individual interviews that were conducted separately with school principals, adults and some teenagers to address the problem from other perspectives. The second one was an online survey to explore volunteers’ motives, opinions and experiences about domestic abuse statistics.

The interviews that were held, simplified discussions and conversations, where participants tended to easily express emotions and views. Open-ended questions in these interviews were conducted in school or via online meetings in Russian language, receiving important points by asking specific information in order to answer the research questions, while the survey was provided for everyone to gather data from abundant number of people to generalize results.

These two ways incorporated with each other to explore the attitudes and beliefs of the participants to the problem area.

3.6 Data Collection Procedure

After accepting approval of conducting interviews and surveys, the researcher contacted the school principals and the rest of the social groups. The consent form was provided to everyone, who were included in the research conduction. The suitable time, language and location were agreed upon before doing interviews and signing a rapport. The participants were reminded beforehand. The questionnaire was sent via messenger chats, where every individual had an access to answer the particular questions. At the end of the data collection, the researcher compared and contrasted the received information.

3.7 Data Analysis

The recorded interviews step-by-step were transcribed and translated into English language to analyze the information. The names of the participants were anonymous as well as in the survey. Organization of the data was based on the explanatory design analysis. Creswell (2019) mentions that “the analysis of an explanatory design is easier to see and conduct than in a convergent design.” (p. 552)

Therefore, data analysis was followed by a well-known method that was required to gather quantitative information and search for severe cases in the qualitative phase, which explained deeply the results of the findings in a qualitative method of the study.

3.8 Ethical issues

This research paper was conducted in correspondence with ethical morals. Creswell (2019) remarks that:

Quantitative issues relate to obtaining permissions, protecting anonymity of respondents, not disrupting sites, and communicating the purposes for the study. In qualitative research, these issues relate to conveying the purpose of the study, avoiding deceptive practices, respecting vulnerable populations, being aware of potential power issues in data collection, respecting indigenous cultures, not disclosing sensitive information, and masking the identities of participants. (p. 553)

Hence, the collected data were safely kept and I will inform the participants to choose a convenient time or platform and in case if they were not comfortable to answer the questions or felt vulnerable, they would have the right to leave the interview or reject the questions.

3.9 Conclusion

This chapter describes the methodology of the paper. The study uses a mixed research design in examining the attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence against women in Kazakhstan. The interviews will be conducted by a purposeful selection process and the survey will be arranged for every human being. Explanatory design analysis will be used in the process of data collecting and analysis, presenting ethical standards. In conclusion, the results with broad discussions will be provided in the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion

4.1. Introduction

This chapter includes a full presentation and discussion of the data analysis as well as the study’s findings. The collected data are illustrated under the following headings: characteristics of the participants; identifying the notion of domestic violence; reasons of domestic violence; the main characteristics of abusers; the reasons why women choose to stay with abusers; domestic abuse cases in Kazakhstan; law enforcement system in Kazakhstan and conclusion.

4.2. Characteristics of the participants

In order to acquire relevant and different opinions on the topic, respondents, specifically adults and teenagers were asked the same questions related to the topic of domestic abuse against women in the interviews and survey. I purposely chose people of different sex to reduce biased answers and thoroughly research the problem. In general, 77 people have passed survey questions, where 56 of them were females, accounting for 72.7% and 21 male (27.3%) (Figure 4.1). Adults constituted 31 people (40.3%) and 46 of the total respondents were teenagers (59.7%) (Figure 4.2), while there were 5 participants in the interview investigation of who 3 were females (1 teenager and 2 adults) and 2 were males (1 teenager and 1 adult). All the participants are coded as Student 1, Student 2, Psychologist 1, Adult 1 and Adult 2.

Figure 4. 1. Presentation of participants

Figure 4. 2. Research participants

4.3. Identifying the notion of domestic violence

To start with, every respondent in the survey is generally aware of domestic violence in Kazakhstan, whereas the interview respondents, Adult 1, Psychologist 1 and Student 1, are pretty much familiar with the notion, but Adult 2 and Student 2 are not quite acquainted with domestic abuse. Regarding to its types, only 60 people (71.67%) are familiar with the main types domestic violence, such as financial, physical (injuries), sexual (raping or coercion to sex), emotional, neglect and mental (control, insulting, conflicts, bullying, gaslighting, manipulating and threating), whereas the rest of the respondents are unfamiliar at all (28.33%). It was noticed that in the interview Adult 1, Psychologist 1 and Student 1 are quite acquainted with domestic violence types. Psychologist 1 claimed that she is familiar with more than two types of domestic abuse, while Adult 1 and Student 1 know only physical and psychological types (punishments) of violence. However, Adult 2, who is male, knows nothing about that and Student 2 confuses domestic violence types with public harassment, such as whistling and catching looks from some men.

4.4. Reasons of domestic violence

Subsequently, respondents and participants were asked about the circumstances in which domestic violence might occur. There were many options in the survey provided by them and the main ones were: emotional instability and trauma (30 people served as an example), uncontrollable behavior and aggression (21 people served as an example), disagreements and lack of communication (19 people served as an example), external factors, such as drugs and alcohol (13 people served as an example), financial hardship (10 people served as an example), low normal values and personal traits (8 people served as an example), patriarchy and male gender socialization (8 people served as an example). The least proportions comprised conservative views, beliefs and traditions (6 people served as an example) and other factors were cheating, stress, incomplete family, while 8 respondents of the survey (10.38%) answered that they could not anticipate any reasons.

The interviews’ results indicate that mostly by females as the main reasons were chosen the mentality, traditions and low moral values (non-standard human behavior), particularly Student 1 and Psychologist 1 served the tradition “kyzdy alyp kashu” and the widespread mentality in South region of Kazakhstan “beat a woman once a week” as examples, implying that some men have bias attitude towards women.

Apart from that, Psychologist 1 stated that such abusive behavior transmits psychologically from an abusive male parent to a child that witnessed domestic abuse, which can be considered as the root reason of regular domestic violence circle. However, the survey data contradicts that. Respondents who voted for “To some extent” (55.8%) (Figure 4.3) claimed that it depends on a child whether he is obliged to be like his parent, whereas 27.3% of respondents voted for “Yes” and merely 5.2% voted for “No” and Adult 2, Student 2 mentioned alcohol, jealousy, financial problems, lack of education and communication as the root causes.

Looking at received information, it is worth saying that domestic violence cannot be determined by one reason. Participants and respondents identified several factors, such as alcohol, financial hardship, traditions and others, but most importantly emotional instability and trauma mainly were selected as factors, which were also confirmed by expert’s opinions. However, this finding differs from a previous study by Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2017), where all victims claimed that violence happens in a state of intoxication.

Figure 4. 3. The likelihood of becoming abusers

4.5. The main characteristics of abusers

There were some general characteristics that were pointed out during the interviews. Students 1 and 2 claimed that it is sometimes sophisticated to identify abusers by their appearance and their true nature can be hidden; and eventually it takes time for them to be truly revealed. However, it can be shown through small acts towards anything, for instance, by being manipulative, asking too much, such as satisfaction of sexual desires and shortage of gentle, physical and emotional gestures.

Adult 1 and Adult 2 stated that it can be seen the way they treat other people, but also Adult 1 mentioned other features, such as, restraints and an abuser’s attitude to his family members. Following this, Psychologist 1 noticed that men who behave as women can be both manipulative and abusive and another warning signs that she considers as disrespect were shouting and cursing out.

These results corroborate the ideas of Bancroft (2002), who suggested that abusiveness could vary, but overall women mistreatment has core similarities: controlling behavior, disrespect, undermining her independence and assaults on the woman’s self-esteem.

4.4.1 The reasons why women choose to stay with abusers

When the respondents were asked about how domestic violence affects women’s mental and physical health, children, family and community, the vast majority of them commented that this leads to ongoing anxieties, fears and mistrust of men, physical harms, psychological traumas of both women and children, resulting in the same patterns of children’s behavior in the future, destruction of families and its values, while a minority of respondents could not indicate consequences of violence. There are similarities between the findings found by World Health Organization (WHO) and Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2017), explaining that domestic abuse puts women at risk for mental health problems and severe physical injuries that can result in disabilities.

Despite these given facts, women choose to stay with abusers. There are possible explanations that were provided by interviewees. Adult 2 and Student 2 described emotional dependence by stating that victims adjust to partners’ abusive behavior over a certain period of time, even though they can be violated. Adult 1 suggests that it is complicated for victims to suddenly alter their lifestyles as they have already adapted to it. She also mentioned a psychological factor, which states that family trauma is inherited and that this can be a determining reason why a woman is going through a domestic violence circle and stays with an abuser.

Another interviewee, who is Psychologist 1, said:

I guess, the level of consciousness in our community is low and we are already adjusted to the notion that claims «beats mean loves». This derives from childhood, particularly when it comes to parent-child relationship and as such communication is often practiced, an abusive behavior stays normalized in a person's consciousness. That also can be confirmed with the expression like «I deserved». Another factor that affects this is that a woman has nowhere to go, including her parental home, which occurs in South Kazakhstan, that is why she might prefer to stay and tolerate aggressive behavior towards her, however in the northern part that happens less because of the difference in mentality.

Despite the fact that Student 1 was not sure about the answer, she predicted that victims tend to remember the good things about abusers in order to have an inner hope that everything will be different next time. The predicted answer of Student 1 also determines whether abusers can change for the better or not. Adult 2 and Student 2 believed that abusers definitely can make improvements despite his behavior, while others think that in a case if he goes through a full session of psychotherapy, which takes a lot of time, can bring positive changes in his behavior, but if it is a continuing process, it is impossible for them to make genuine progress.

4.5. Domestic violence cases in Kazakhstan

As mentioned in the previous chapter, domestic violence was abolished from Kazakhstan's penal law in 2017, yet according to the public fund "NeMolchi" (2017), an average of 120 rapes, 5232 beatings, 72 injuries, 14 murders, and 48 suicides of women are reported each month in the country (as cited in Zhapisheva, 2020). These study results can be corroborated by respondents’ answers as all of them undoubtedly heard about such cases from other people, internet sources and news. Four out of five respondents told about real situations, which took place in familiar families. Their answers depicted that domestic violence cases are widespread in Kazakhstan. It is, therefore, 79.2% of those surveyed reported that intimate partner violence is an important matter, while 15.6% and 1.3% voted for “To some extent” and “No” (Figure 4.4).

Figure 4. 4. The attitude of respondents towards the importance of violence in Kazakhstan

Most of the interview respondents also agreed that domestic abuse is the most relevant issue that should be tackled as it decreases living conditions, according to Adult 1 and Student 1 and, corresponding to Student 2, increases divorce rate, which hits the demography of our country.

Particularly, Psychologist 1 commented that:

From my point of view, this is the most relevant issue, considering that during COVID-19 there was a sharp rise in domestic violence cases and apart from that, we have statistics that confirms the reality of the problem and I guess this is precisely why our president in his recent message mentioned that domestic abuse should be reinforced. I hope that his words will not turn into empty promises and the problem will be solved by using real actions, not just as usual by warning an abuser and releasing him.

However, another interviewee, who is coded as Adult 2, said that domestic violence is not the most crucial issue as there are other ones, such as poverty.

4.5.1 Law enforcement system against domestic violence in Kazakhstan

In the final parts of the survey and the interviews, respondents were asked about the law enforcement system against domestic abuse in Kazakhstan. The results of both research methods were mainly criticized. The majority of those who responded to this item (71.5%) felt that the law policies against domestic violence are low, scaling one and two out of total five, which was the highest (Figure 4.5), whilst others (26%) have chosen the middle and merely 2.6% have voted for the highest figure. The mean value is 15,4 which is close to rate 3, which highlights a common view amongst interviewees was that the law enforcement is poor in the country. Compared to other European countries, in Kazakhstan there is no actual system that has to be held in order to defend victims’ rights. These findings match another study that was observed by Zhapisheva (2020). In the reviewed literature, it was found that domestic abuse was never listed in Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code. The revised modifications eliminated the penalty of a fine in favor of a written warning or administrative detention for up to 20 days, despite that the second President signed a paper to amend legislation relating to domestic violence.

Figure 4. 5. The rate of law enforcement system against domestic abuse in Kazakhstan

Moreover, participants of the interviews stated aspects that might influence why women under-report being domestically abused. The main ones included: the fear of being abused again and not protected by the government, financial and emotional dependence, cultural beliefs (the concept of “uyat”). One interviewee, who is Student 1, gave a clear explanation of that:

Firstly, there is a general belief that claims squabbles or quarrels going on in a family must be discussed only in privately”. Secondly, there is great fear and danger because if the partner knows that she is asking for help, it will get him angrier and there is even the risk that he will kill her. Also, in some cases, partners isolate the victim's connections even with close family or friends, so she is not able to go somewhere. Living with such a dangerous person is like living in a prison. Everything has to be controlled and every question should be gone through him. That is why women who are domestically abused are so scared to share with anyone. Someone can even think that it is a shame and they will try to hide it in order to not be discussed.

It is worth noticing that one of the reasons for this could be a problem known as "family intact," which indicates that victims of abuse choose to keep such incidents hidden because of the pressure they experience as a result of Kazakh mentality. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that cultural factors exacerbate the problem of domestic violence in Kazakhstan, because domestic violence is still frequently seen as a "family concern" and is underreported to the police. Besides, analyzing the statement above that women do not feel confident whether they are going to be protected by authorities, it is essential to take into account that police officers do not always inform women about available resources, such as the right to seek shelter, legal support or a protective order, even though 92.2% of respondents indicate that women have rights to take any support against domestic abuse, whereas others have chosen “To some extent” and “No” (5.2% and 2.6%, respectively) (Figure 4.6).

Figure 4. 6. The support women receive from the government

4.6 Conclusion

This research paper used both research methods in order to have clear and detailed opinions relating to domestic violence issues in Kazakhstan. Based on the findings, it is known that the vast majority of people are theoretically aware of the notion and its main types, however in a case of problem-solving, Kazakhstan’s law enforcement system is inefficient and insignificant, despite the fact that domestic violence cases are common in the country.

That is precisely why this study is beneficial not only for the government to reconsider the whole concept of the law, but also for human beings to raise awareness and educate each other as the societal pressure is also the factor that prevents solving domestic violence.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

5.1 Introduction

The purpose of the study was to identify perceptions of domestic violence against women in Kazakhstan among adults and teenagers. It was also aimed at analyzing its major causes and whether societal attitudes play a key role in perpetration of domestic violence or not. This chapter provides a brief overview of the research results and attempts to answer the following research questions:

How does society in Kazakhstan affect domestic violence impunity and its annual growth within the country?
Why domestic violence should be stopped?

5.2 Key findings

It is crucial to mention that there are a few factors that have a major impact on the issue: police officers, victims’ families, community, childhood traumas and government. As my research has indicated, the law enforcement system against domestic abuse in the country does not work properly and that is precisely why police workers cannot help domestic violence survivors, which is the main reason why particularly none of them understand what type of help they seek and prefer to stay with abusers.

During interviews, it has been noticed that there is a common aspect such as “family intact”, which plays an important role in preventing victims from calling the police. In order not to destroy a family and be discussed, ignored and ashamed, women do not tell anyone, which is also a consequence of a general notion “squabbles or quarrels going on in a family should be discussed only privately”. However, this creates a huge obstacle in the way of protecting them. Another social factor is our patriarchal community, especially the mentality that might negatively influence victims. Notions and labels such as “beats mean loves”, “it is your fault”, “I deserve, I should have cared more about him” determine poor attitudes towards females and their positions in every aspect of life, encouraging some men to humiliate women. Likewise, childhood trauma was exemplified as a main reason by some of the interviewees and participants, claiming that trauma inherits psychologically and can be projected in the future to a child.

Hence, it can be clearly seen that society pressure, insufficient assistance and lack of healthy, fundamental family values create barriers to tackle domestic violence problems.

5.3 Contribution to the field

This research will have implications for all women and their families because domestic violence is a serious crime that should not be punished with a warning as it happens in Kazakhstan. Moreover, this study will be useful for our community to reconsider patriarchal beliefs and attitudes towards women in the country as well as perceiving domestic violence as a huge and complicated problem. It will raise awareness about the problem in order to implement the amendments and defend the female population, consequently women can be sure they will have protection and refuge and perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice.

There will be deep work and cooperation among authorities and the general public as the undertaking of the amendments and the successfulness of community prevention depends on people’s perceptions and beliefs.

5.4 Research limitations

In the course of the study, there were some limitations and difficulties I encountered during research. First of all, I would like to mention that there was a lack of data and statistics relating to domestic violence in Kazakhstan, which affected the relevancy of information referred to in the research, which implies that domestic violence is paid less attention compared to other problems. Other limitations that should be considered were in interview and survey sections such as language barriers and spare time of experts, as some of my interviewees and most of the participants were not proficient in English, I had to translate all of the important documents and highlight necessary information. Furthermore, one of the interviewees gave short answers, since the topic of my research was not close to him, while the most complicated aspect in the survey was distributing it and collecting more data.

Despite all the limitations, I can say that all my research questions were answered and the main point was proven correct by analyzed findings.

5.5 Recommendations for further research

This chapter is dedicated to providing for ongoing research in this field in the future. It has previously been observed that some individuals did not exactly answer the questions. It is impossible to avoid such responses; nonetheless, in order to gain more accurate information, it is worthwhile to prepare extra questions or information that will aid in the participant's understanding of the topic. Another advice for future research would be focusing on conducting interviews with domestic violence victims, nonprofit domestic abuse survivor support organizations and police workers to understand the problem and the law enforcement system from their points of views. Additionally, it is helpful to use methods of distributing surveys to obtain a large number of responses, improving the representativeness of study findings.

References

Almukhanbetkyzy, A., & Eaton, K., (2020). Under COVID-19, Domestic Violence Intensifies in Kazakhstan. Journal of The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2020/07/under-covid-19-domestic-violence-intensifies-in-kazakhstan/

Annan. D. (2019). A simple guide to research writing. Flash Print.

Bancroft, L. (2002). Why Does He Do That? : Inside The Minds of Angry and Controlling Men. Penguin Group.

Creswell, J. W. (2019). Educational Research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson.

Gretchen, E., & Catherine, N. (2007). Domestic Violence: A literature Review Reflecting an International Crisis. Journal of Stress, Trauma, and Crisis, 7(2), 2-12. DOI: 10.1080/15434610490450860

Human Rights Watch. (2019, October 17). Kazakhstan: Little Help for Domestic Violence Survivors. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/17/kazakhstan-little-help-domestic-violence-survivors

Kabylova, M. (2021, April 23). Examining The Causes of Femicide in Kazakhstan. Central Asia Program. https://centralasiaprogram.org/examining-femicide-kazakhstan

McCombes, S. (2019, September 19). Sampling Methods | Types and Techniques Explained. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/sampling-methods/#probability-sampling

Statistical Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2017). Sample Survey on Violence Against Women in Kazakhstan, 246. https://kazakhstan.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Kazakhstan%20VAW%20report_final%2031-10-2017.pdf

Sultan, A. (2020, May 4). Kazakhstan: Domestic Violence Complaints Doubled, but Nowhere to Run From the Abuser. https://cabar.asia/en/kazakhstan-domestic-violence-complaints-doubled-but-nowhere-to-run-from-the-abuser

United States Department of Justice. (2020, May 26). Federal Domestic Violence Laws. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/victim-witness-program/federal-domestic-violence-laws

Walby, S. (2004). The cost of Domestic Violence. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/resources/sociology-online-papers/papers/walby-costdomesticviolence.pdf

Worden, A.P., & Carlson, B. E (2005). Attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence: results of a public opinion survey: II. Beliefs about causes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1197-218, 25. doi: 10.1177/0886260505278531

World Health Organization. (2021). Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates 2018, 87. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240022256

Zhapisheva, A. (2020, August 6). What Prevents the Domestic Violence Criminalization in Kazakhstan and Why Is It Necessary? https://cabar.asia/en/what-prevents-the-domestic-violence-criminalization-in-kazakhstan-and-why-is-it-necessary

Appendix A

Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Nur-Sultan

INFORMED CONSENT FOR INTERVIEW

Attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence: Results of teenagers and adults’ opinions

I, _____________________________________, agree to be interviewed for the project which will be conducted by Togzhan Kanapina a Grade 11- Global Perspectives and Project Work student of Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics, Nur-Sultan.

I certify that I have been told of the confidentiality of information collected for this project and the anonymity of my participation; that I have been given satisfactory answers to my inquiries concerning project procedures and other matters; and that I have been advised that I am free to withdraw my consent and to discontinue participation in the project or activity at any time without prejudice.

I agree to participate in one or more electronically recorded interviews for this project. I understand that such interviews and related materials will be kept completely anonymous, and that the results of this study may be published in any form that may serve its best.

I agree that any information obtained from this research may be used in any way thought best for this study.

________________________________________ ________________________

Signature of Interviewee Date

Приложение А

Назарбаев Интеллектуальная школа Физико-математического направления

г. Нур-Султан

СОГЛАШЕНИЕ НА ИНТЕРВЬЮ

Отношения и убеждения по поводу домашнего насилия в семье: Результаты мнений подростков и взрослых

Я, _____________________________________, даю согласие на участие в интервью для проекта, который будет проводить Канапина Тогжан, ученица11-го класса «Глобальные перспективы и проектная работа» Назарбаев Интеллектуальной школы физико-математического направления, г. Нур-Султан.

Я подтверждаю, что мне сообщили о конфиденциальности информации, собранной для этого проекта, и об анонимности моего участия; что я получил удовлетворительные ответы на свои вопросы, касающиеся проектных процедур и других вопросов; и что мне сообщили, что я могу отозвать свое согласие и прекратить участие в проекте или деятельности в любое время без ущерба для себя.

Я согласен принять участие в одном или нескольких электронных интервью для этого проекта. Я понимаю, что такие интервью и связанные с ними материалы будут храниться полностью анонимно, и что результаты этого исследования могут быть опубликованы в любой удобной форме.

________________________________________ ________________________

Подпись Дата

Қосымша А

СҰХБАТ КЕЛІСІМ

Отбасыдағы тұрмыстық зорлық-зомбылыққа қатысты көзқарастар мен сенімдер: Жасөспірімдер мен ересектердің пікірлерінің нәтижелері

Мен, _____________________________________, Нұр-Сұлтан қаласы физика-математика бағытындағы Назарбаев Зияткерлік мектебінің 11-сынып оқушысы– Жаһандық перспективалар және жобалық жұмыс Канапина Тоғжан жүргізетін жобаға сұхбат беруге келісемін.

Маған осы жоба үшін жиналған ақпараттың құпиялылығы және қатысуымның анонимділігі туралы айтылғанын растаймын; жоба процедураларына және басқа мәселелерге қатысты сұрақтарыма қанағаттанарлық жауаптар берілгенін; және маған келісімімді қайтарып алуға және жобаға немесе іс-әрекетке кез келген уақытта ешбір зиян келтірместен қатысуды тоқтатуға еркіндігім туралы ескертілді.

Мен осы жоба үшін бір немесе бірнеше электронды түрде жазылған сұхбатқа қатысуға келісемін. Мен мұндай сұхбаттар мен оған қатысты материалдар толығымен жасырын түрде сақталатынын және осы зерттеу нәтижелері ең жақсы қызмет ететін кез келген нысанда жариялануы мүмкін екенін түсінемін.

Осы зерттеуден алынған кез келген ақпарат осы зерттеу үшін қолайлы деп есептелетін кез келген жолмен пайдаланылуы мүмкін екеніне келісемін.

_______________________________________ ________________________

Қолы Күні

Appendix B

Individual interview questions

How good are you familiar with the notion of domestic violence towards women and its types?
What are the main root reasons of domestic violence in Kazakhstan? /
To what extent do you agree that domestic abuse is the most relevant issue that should be solved?
Do abusers show any potential warning signs before dating or marrying a woman?
Why do victims sometimes return to or stay with abusers?
To what extent do you agree that it is possible for abusers to change for the better?
Have you ever met a woman who experienced domestic violence?
How often do you assume an average woman in Kazakhstan faces domestic violence?
How do you feel about the law enforcement system against domestic violence in Kazakhstan? Do you think it is better or worse compared to other countries?
How do gender roles, stereotypes, beliefs and mindsets shape domestic violence in Kazakhstan?
Why do women under-report being domestically abused?

Приложение Б

Вопросы для интервью

Насколько хорошо Вы знакомы с понятием бытового насилия в отношении женщин и его видами?
Каковы основные коренные причины бытового насилия в Казахстане?
В какой степени Вы согласны с тем, что насилие в семье является наиболее актуальной проблемой, которую следует решить?
Проявляют ли насильники какие-либо потенциальные предупреждающие признаки перед тем, как встречаться с женщиной или жениться на ней?
Почему жертвы домашнего насилия иногда возвращаются к насильникам или остаются с ними?
В какой степени Вы согласны с тем, что насильники могут измениться к лучшему?
Встречали ли Вы когда-нибудь женщину, которая подверглась домашнему насилию?
Как часто, по Вашему мнению, среднестатистическая женщина в Казахстане сталкивается с насилием в семье?
Как Вы относитесь к правоохранительной системе по борьбе с насилием в семье в Казахстане? Как Вы думаете, это лучше или хуже по сравнению с другими странами?
Как гендерные роли, стереотипы, убеждения и мировоззрение влияют на насилие в семье в Казахстане?
Почему женщины не заявляют в полицию о домашнем насилии?

Қосымша В

Жеке сұхбат сұрақтары

Сіз әйелдерге қатысты тұрмыстық зорлық-зомбылық ұғымымен және оның түрлерімен қаншалықты таныссыз?
Қазақстандағы тұрмыстық зорлық-зомбылықтың негізгі себептері қандай?
Әйелдерге қарсы зорлық-зомбылық ең өзекті мәселе болып табылатындығына Сіз қаншалықты келісесіз?
Зорлаушылар әйелмен кездесуден немесе оған үйленуден бұрын қандай да бір ескерту белгілерін көрсете ме?
Неліктен әйел адамдар кейде зорлаушыларға оралады немесе олармен бірге қалады?
Зорлаушылар жақсы жаққа өзгеруі мүмкін дегенге Сіз қаншалықты келісесіз?
Сіз зорлық-зомбылыққа ұшыраған әйелді кездестірдіңіз бе?
Сіздің ойыңызша, Қазақстандағы орташа әйел отбасындағы зорлық-зомбылыққа қаншалықты жиі тап болады?
Қазақ отбасындағы зорлық-зомбылыққа қарсы күрес жөніндегі құқық қорғау жүйесіне қалай қарайсыз? Сіздің ойыңызша, бұл басқа елдермен салыстырғанда жақсы немесе нашар ма?
Гендерлік рөлдер, стереотиптер, сенімдер мен дүниетаным Қазақстандағы отбасындағы зорлық-зомбылыққа қалай әсер етеді?
Неліктен әйелдер тұрмыстық зорлық-зомбылық туралы полиция бөлімшесіне хабарламайды?

Appendix C

Survey Questions

Dear respondent! A student of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Nur-Sultan is conducting a study aimed at attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence in Kazakhstan.

Based on the survey, the most significant data needed for identifying the perceptions of domestic violence will be determined.

I ask you to take part in the survey and answer the questions of the questionnaire. Read each question carefully and choose the answer that best suits your opinion and indicate it. Please answer sincerely. Your feedback is very important to us!

Your answers will be used in summary form. Anonymity and confidentiality are guaranteed. The survey will take you no more than ten minutes.

Вопросы онлайн опроса

Уважаемый респондент! Ученица Назарбаев Интеллектуальной школы Физико-математического направления г. Нур-Султан проводит исследование, направленное на изучения отношения и убеждений к домашнему насилию в Казахстане.

На основе опроса будут определены наиболее значимые данные, необходимые для выявления восприятий о домашнем насилии в семье.

Прошу Вас принять участие в опросе и ответить на вопросы анкеты. Внимательно прочтите каждый вопрос и выберите ответ, наиболее отвечающий Вашему мнению, укажите его. Просим Вас отвечать искренне. Ваше мнение очень важно для нас!

Ваши ответы будут использованы в обобщенном виде. Анонимность и конфиденциальность гарантируются. Анкетирование займет у Вас не более десяти минут.

Сауалнама сұрақтары

Құрметті респондент! Нұр-Сұлтан қаласындағы физика-математика бағытындағы Назарбаев Зияткерлік мектебінің оқушысы Қазақстан отбасыларында зорлық-зомбылыққа көзқарас пен нанымды зерделеуге бағытталған зерттеу жүргізуде.

Сауалнама негізінде халықтың зорлық-зомбылық туралы пікірлерлерін анықтау үшін ең маңызды деректер анықталады.

Сауалнамаға қатысып, сауалнама сұрақтарына жауап берулеріңізді сұраймын. Әрбір сұрақты мұқият оқып шығыңыз және өз пікіріңізге сәйкес келетін жауапты таңдаңыз және оны көрсетіңіз. Шын жүректен жауап беріңізші. Сіздің пікіріңіз біз үшін өте маңызды!

Жауаптарыңыз жиынтық түрінде пайдаланылады. Анонимділік пен құпиялылыққа кепілдік беріледі. Сауалнама сізге он минуттан аспайды.

What does domestic violence mean to you? / Что для вас значит домашнее насилие? / Отбасыдағы зорлық-зомбылық сіз үшін нені білдіреді?
What types of domestic abuse are you familiar with? / С какими видами домашнего насилия вы знакомы? / Сіз тұрмыстық зорлық-зомбылықтың қандай түрлерімен таныссыз?
Do you consider domestic violence as an important matter of Kazakhstan? / Считаете ли вы насилие в семье важной проблемой Казахстана? / Сіз отбасыдағы зорлық-зомбылықты Қазақстанның маңызды мәселесі деп санайсыз ба?
In your opinion in which circumstances domestic violence can be caused? / По вашему мнению, при каких обстоятельствах может быть вызвано насилие в семье? / Сіздің ойыңызша, отбасыдағы зорлық-зомбылық қандай жағдайларда туындауы мүмкін?
In your opinion, how does domestic abuse affect women’s health, family, community and children? / Как, по вашему мнению, домашнее насилие в семье влияет на здоровье женщин, семью, общество и детей? / Сіздің ойыңызша, тұрмыстық зорлық-зомбылық әйелдердің денсаулығына, отбасыға, қоғамға және балаларға қалай әсер етеді?
Do you think that a child who witnesses intimate partner violence can be an abuser later? / Считаете ли вы, что ребенок, ставший свидетелем насилия со стороны интимного партнера, может позже стать насильником? / Сіздің ойыңызша, жақын серіктес тарапынан зорлық-зомбылыққа куә болған бала кейінірек зорлаушы бола алады ма?
How would you scale law enforcement against domestic violence in Kazakhstan from 1 to 5? / Как бы вы оценили эффективность правоохранительных органов по борьбе с насилием в семье в Казахстане с 1 до 5? / Қазақ отбасындағы зорлық-зомбылыққа қарсы күрес бойынша құқық қорғау органдарының тиімділігін 1-ден 5-ке дейін қалай бағалайсыз?
Do you think that men who abuse should be legally punished? / Считаете ли вы, что мужчины, совершающие насилие, должны быть законно наказаны? / Сіз зорлық-зомбылық көрсеткен ер адамдар заңды түрде жазалануы керек деп ойлайсыз ба?
Do you assume that women should have the right to take the legal support against domestic violence? / Считаете ли вы, что женщины должны иметь право на юридическую поддержку в борьбе с насилием в семье? / Сіздің ойыңызша, зорлық-зомбылыққа қарсы күресте әйелдердің заңды қолдануға құқығы бар ма?