Engaging Civil Society in Kazakhstan and Across Central Asia in Needed Dialogue Around Gender-Based Violence
With Elena de Montjou, Calvin Acker and Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton
While countries around the globe continue to face the devastating consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, another rages in the shadows. Incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) (i.e acts intended to hurt women and make them suffer physically, sexually, psychologically and/or economically, have increased exponentially around the world). Considered the “silent pandemic” by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on a visit to Kazakhstan in June 2022, GBV is prevalent in Central Asia where patriarchal legislation and traditionalism have created a barrier of proof for women who have experienced it.
In fact, women in Kazakhstan wishing to report physical or sexual violence are forced to prove their suffering: “an accused rapist can only be charged, on the basis of doctors testimony” that the victim spent “at least 21 days hospitalized from their injuries” (UN).
In response to the urgent need to break this culture of silence surrounding GBV, Footage Foundation (Footage) returned to work with at-risk, underserved young women in Kazakhstan by adapting and implementing their Girl-talk-Girl flagship initiative — an award-winning program and the largest digital platform for young women’s voices on gender-based violence globally. This project, made possible by generous awards from the US Embassy & Consulate in Kazakhstan, allowed Footage to expand on the program first launched in partnership with Kazakhstan NGO, Rodnik in 2019, and returning to Kazakhstan Footage sought to engage civil society in urgently needed dialogue around GBV.
Overall, Footage’s GTG scale-up model included five days of interactive workshops and intensive leadership training with young women as well as a 90 minute global online seminar with several civil society organizations to discuss GBV, one of the world’s most insidious human rights violations and a particularly critical issue in their communities.
During this webinar on February 1, 2023, Footage and Rodnik teams invited civil society organizations as well as Kazakh crisis centers, and additional members of the Kazakh-speaking general public and presented their work achieved through the GTG peer-to-peer leadership model as well as some of the young women’s stories generated through during the program. Over 60 people, from civil society and representing crisis centers, from five countries including Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan attended this interactive event. Both Footage and their partner Rodnik highlighted the important ways in which civil society organizations can engage in problem solving, for example using the GTG toolkit, a practical handbook created in 2015 with stories and perspectives from the US and Russia. This toolkit was expanded to include perspectives and stories from Kazakhstan in 2020.
This open source toolkit initiates a crucial discussion around the main themes, issues and types of violence that women reported in GTG programs across countries. As a representative of one the crisis centers in Kyrgyzstan who attended the seminar said:
‘Most girls victims of gender-based violence don’t consider themselves being in this situation so these methods [including the toolkit[] help to detect all these important moments where violence is taking place against young women and girls […] this is a positive practice for us, thank you.’
Indeed, according to the feedback gathered around this webinar, 100% of the participants reported having a better understanding of how Girl-talk-Girl and the Toolkit can help raise awareness about GBV. All of them also reported that they were interested in using Footage’s Toolkit and/or learning more about how they could use the Toolkit in their own communities/work. Footage, together with their partner Rodnik, aim to continue their work across the region, using the assets they have built to not only engage civil society in dialogue around GBV, but to engage in dialogue and problem-solving with young women’s voices and needs at the center of this discussion.
About Footage Foundation: Footage is a U.S. based feminist organization raising voices to elevate lives through creative research, wellbeing interventions, and advocacy — all advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Footage has received nine Public Diplomacy awards from the U.S. Department of State to design and implement programs focusing on women and violence primarily in the Post-Soviet region. A nonprofit organization founded by PhD colleagues at Cambridge University, Footage uses narrative and expressive approaches empowering young women around the world to connect as agents of social change. Our programs provide connection — a community for women on the frontlines of gender inequality where their ideas matter and their voices count. We have a particular focus on forced displacement and gender-based violence and believe compassion and connection are as important to sustainable development as food and water. Girl-talk-Girl connects young women worldwide, using mobile digital storytelling (2–5 minute multimedia narratives produced on mobile phones) to spark dialogue and change around the gender-based violence present in their lives.
Girl-talk-Girl Kazakhstan is generously supported and sponsored by the US Embassy and Consulate in Kazakhstan
