Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Eightieth session

Summary record of the 1833rd meeting*

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Tuesday, 2 November 2021, at 10 a.m.

Chair:Mr. Safarov (Vice-Chair)

Contents

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Fifth periodic report of Kyrgyzstan

Mr. Safarov (Vice-Chair) took the Chair.

The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m.

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Fifth periodic report of Kyrgyzstan (CEDAW/C/KGZ/5; CEDAW/C/KGZ/Q/5 and CEDAW/C/KGZ/RQ/5)

1. At the invitation of the Chair, the delegation of Kyrgyzstan took places at the Committee table.

2.Ms. Alybaeva (Kyrgyzstan) said that Kyrgyzstan was celebrating in 2021 the thirtieth anniversary of its independence, and a national referendum in April 2021 had led to the adoption of a new Constitution. The current situation was characterized by positive changes in all areas of public life in the interests of the people. It should also be underscored that the country’s international obligations under the human rights treaties that it had ratified were recognized as peremptory guidelines for the further development of a democratic State, as reflected in specific constitutional provisions and the current gender policy.

3.Thanks to an inclusive procedure involving a wide range of stakeholders, civil society organizations and development partners, a National Strategy for the Achievement of Gender Equality by 2030 had been developed and would be submitted for adoption in the near future. It included five priority areas: economic empowerment of women; cultural policy and functional education; protection from gender discrimination and support for equitable justice; women’s political participation; and regulatory policies to promote gender equality. The previous National Strategy for the Achievement of Gender Equality by 2020 had resulted in significant improvements. For instance, 73 per cent of the measures envisaged in the National Plan of Action for 2018–2020 had been successfully implemented.

4.Kyrgyzstan had submitted a national report in 2020 to the United Nations as part of the 25-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and a voluntary national review of progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 5 on gender equality. The National Development Strategy of Kyrgyzstan for 2018–2040 included gender-specific goals and measures, such as full and equal participation of women at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life, gender equality and equal opportunities for women and men. A further goal was to reduce maternal mortality by 25 per cent by 2040. In addition, steps would be taken to terminate forced and early marriages, to abolish all forms of domestic violence, to create conditions for a work-life balance for women and men, and to promote responsible parenting and family values based on good child-rearing practices and respect for all family members. The National Development Programme of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2026 adopted by a Presidential Decree on 14 October 2021 provided for measures to implement the gender-specific goals set out in the Strategy.

5.Kyrgyzstan was actively involved in promoting the gender equality agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. At the second Women’s Forum held in Bishkek in May 2019, it had initiated the development of a joint vision aimed at introducing a gender dimension into the Organization’s strategy and achieving equal results for women and men in member States through regional cooperation.

6.Her Government was determined to comply with its obligations under the Convention, notwithstanding the current global and regional challenges. Urgent measures had been adopted during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic with a view to providing emergency and medium-term targeted assistance to the population, particularly vulnerable groups such as women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

7.A major achievement in political life in 2019 had been the incorporation in the Act on the Election of Representatives of Local Councils of a quota for women of at least 30 per cent of the seats in each constituency. As a result, there had been a fourfold increase in the number of women deputies at the local level, and the representation of women had increased from 9 per cent in 2012 to 37.8 per cent in 2021. Parties participating in the parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 November 2021 were required to present at least 30 per cent of candidates of each gender, and every fourth candidate must be of a different gender. The Act also provided for a mechanism for reserving 30 per cent of the seats on party lists for women.

8.As a result of the active involvement in business of women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a great deal of attention was devoted to supporting women’s entrepreneurship. A national conference on the subject had been held for the first time in 2019, and the Cabinet of Ministers had subsequently announced its intention to adopt a targeted State programme. A draft national programme for the development of women’s entrepreneurship until 2035 was about to be approved. The Cabinet also organized a Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on 19 November each year, a date that coincided with the similarly named global event.

9.The Ministry of Education and Science, acting with civil society gender experts and in cooperation with the European Union, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Unity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, had been highly active during the past two years. In particular, a methodology for conducting anti-discrimination and gender analysis of textbooks had been developed, tested and approved, and a list of experts had been established for the purpose. Such analyses were now a mandatory procedure for all textbooks.

10.An action plan had been developed with a view to implementing the Committee’s concluding observations (CEDAW/C/KGZ/CO/4) on the fourth periodic report submitted in 2012. The fifth periodic report (CEDAW/C/KGZ/5) had been submitted in March 2019. The negative impact of the COVD-19 pandemic had unfortunately limited the authorities’ ability to provide comprehensive answers to all the questions contained in the list of issues (CEDAW/C/KGZ/Q/5). However, the delegation would seek to do so during the interactive dialogue.

11.The comprehensive system of gender-sensitive national mechanisms included the National Council on Gender Development, the Council for the Protection of Women’s Rights and the Prevention of Gender-based Violence, and the Forum of Women Members of Parliament. In addition, the Office of the Ombudsman had established a Department for the Protection of the Rights of Women, Children and the Family, which had submitted reports to the Zhogorku Kenesh, the parliament of Kyrgyzstan, on the labour rights of women and children and on the reproductive rights of women.

12.Civil society organizations also played an active role in the country’s gender policy and had supported the incorporation of gender-specific provisions in the legislation, such as gender quotas in parliamentary and local elections. A new version of the Act on Protection and Defence against Domestic Violence included provisions for combating forced and early marriage and criminalized domestic violence. In addition, the Act on Public Councils of State Bodies stipulated that public councils should not be composed of more than 70 per cent of persons of the same gender.

13.Her Government was implementing the necessary measures, notwithstanding challenges such as the increase in violence against women and the restrictive measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Enforcement of the Act on Protection and Defence against Domestic Violence was continuously monitored. There were specific legislative proposals aimed at promoting accountability for domestic violence, violence against women, and early and forced marriage. Unfortunately, little progress had been made towards eradicating such phenomena. However, the law enforcement authorities were taking vigorous action to bring the perpetrators to justice.

14.The death of Aizat Kanatbekova, who had been abducted for the purposes of forced marriage, had caused a public outcry. The State had responded by introducing appropriate amendments to the legislation aimed at increasing accountability under the relevant article of the Criminal Code. Law enforcement personnel were also trained to respond promptly and take all necessary measures in response to reports of violence against women. It should be noted that the criminal case in question had been investigated under the personal oversight of the President of Kyrgyzstan.

15.Mr. Esenkanov (Kyrgyzstan) said that discrimination against women was not a widespread phenomenon in Kyrgyzstan. Women had been highly respected throughout the country’s history. Large territories in the southern part of the country had been run by women and a woman had served as Central Asia’s first female President. Girls were also traditionally respected more than boys in the country’s families. Although there were cases of discrimination, prostitution, domestic violence and abduction for forced marriage, they constituted an exception to the rule.

16.One of the goals of the National Strategy for the Achievement of Gender Equality was to promote national mechanisms for securing access to justice for victims of gender discrimination and violence. The legislation had been amended to guarantee the independence of the courts and the judicial system. Persons working in the judicial system received training, including through online courses, on gender equality, investigation of cases of domestic violence and analysis of gender discrimination.

17.The COVID-19 epidemic had led to an increase in domestic violence. In 2019 about 10 per cent of the 10,000 reported offences had concerned domestic violence. In 2020 just over 2 per cent of reported offences had concerned domestic violence. A presidential decree aimed at reducing the number of offences had been issued in 2020. It included regulations governing the use of video links in legal proceedings and accorded special rights to the Supreme Court in emergency situations. All courts had now installed hardware for videoconferencing in judicial proceedings. With regard to gender representation in the judiciary, 197 out of 460 judges, or more than 42 per cent, were women, and women accounted for 50 per cent of Supreme Court judges.

18.Ms. Nadaraia said that the State party’s progress in protecting women’s rights and promoting gender equality was meeting some growing challenges stemming from patriarchal values and social norms. It would appear that a wide-ranging review of legislation was under way and that some existing legislation and policy was being revised to place greater emphasis on morals, ethics and traditional family values. She would be grateful for an explanation of such backward steps, since the stronger focus on such values could be used to restrict women’s rights. She wished to know what obstacles were delaying the adoption and implementation of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation complying with international standards, in line with the Committee’s recommendations on the matter.

19.The Committee would like to hear more about the results obtained from the implementation of the National Plan of Action for Gender Equality for the years 2018–2020. She would be grateful if the delegation could explain what additional measures were foreseen in the new plan of action covering the period up until 2026 to combat greater inequality in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also wondered what outcomes had been achieved through the action plan to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. The Committee would like to receive some information about strategies for increasing the number of women who could benefit from legal assistance under the Act on Guaranteed State Legal Aid. Had there been any violations of that Act? Lastly, she asked whether any measures existed to improve the awareness of women living in remote and rural areas of their rights and of remedies for violations of those rights.

20.Mr. Smanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) said that it had proved necessary to draw up an inventory of various codes and of legislation implementing the Constitution with a view to updating those laws in order to bring them into line with the principles of social justice and to remove any inconsistencies, legal gaps or conflicts of laws. The inventory of 359 laws, many of which related to gender, had been due for completion by the end of August 2021. Over 40 laws were undergoing further gender analysis by 11 working groups comprising experts, representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations. All the new draft laws would be submitted to the Zhogorku Kenesh.

21.Ms. Isakova (Kyrgyzstan) said that three action plans had been put in place to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), the last of which had covered the period 2018–2020. The third stage of the process had been completed under the auspices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Gender experts were conducting an independent analysis of the implementation of the action plans with a view to including best practices in the next plan. Every year the celebration of the International Day of Peace provided women and young people with an opportunity to engage in a dialogue on issues surrounding peace and security and to advocate women’s participation in the process. Several women’s organizations actively promoted the national action plans and the women and peace and security agenda. Much attention was also being paid to enhancing local authorities’ potential for encouraging women to take part in the promotion of that agenda. It was hoped that a fourth plan of action covering the period 2021–2023 would soon be adopted. That plan would also address a number of issues connected with the situation in border regions, including the action that needed to be taken by the authorities in order to protect the rights of women and girls in armed conflicts and to include gender mainstreaming in measures to support peace and security.

22.Mr. Smanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) said that the Act on Guaranteed State Legal Aid was highly effective. In 2020, over 3,400 women had received legal assistance from qualified professionals and more than 27,000 had sought legal advice. In 2021, the figures were nearly 2,000 and over 11,000 respectively. Campaigns were mounted with the help of the mass media to raise women’s awareness of the availability of such legal aid. Every year, the number of citizens seeking free legal aid was increasing along with their awareness of its existence.

23.Ms. Isakova (Kyrgyzstan) said that 49 mobile police units had been set up throughout the country to provide services in regions where a police presence was thin. One of the main goals of that measure had been to prevent domestic violence.

24.Ms. Alybaeva (Kyrgyzstan) said that a variety of new approaches and methods had been included in the new National Strategy for the Achievement of Gender Equality in order to tackle the challenges posed by COVID-19 and climate change. The second priority had been cultural policy and education, as information and instruction were regarded as powerful means of advancing gender equality. Any measures contained in the first, second and third National Plans of Action for Gender Equality that had not been carried out for any reason during the periods they covered had either been implemented by the end of 2020 or included in the new draft plan of action.

25.Ms. Leinarte asked whether, in view of the fact that the State party’s legislation was undergoing radical revision, the delegation could provide any examples of amended draft laws concerning gender equality to enable the Committee to compare them with previous legislation.

26.Ms. Isakova (Kyrgyzstan) said that, until 2020, service in law enforcement agencies had been regulated by a government decree under which preference had been given to candidates with gender and ethnicity that were underrepresented in the body concerned. The new draft law covered four bodies. Initially it had been gender neutral in that it did not contain any affirmative action in favour of women. After expert analysis, the introduction of quotas had been proposed as a means of boosting the representation of both women and ethnic minorities. That proposal had been adopted and the new draft text would be posted on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers for public discussion. The new statute, which would probably be adopted by the President by the end of 2021, would ensure wider representation of women and ethnic minorities in law enforcement agencies.

27.Mr. Smanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) said that all the laws under review would undergo mandatory gender analysis by experts.

28.Ms. Leinarte said that it was unclear whether a special ministerial unit, with a separate budget and adequate human resources, had been set up within the Ministry of Labour and Social Development to deal with gender equality issues. She would welcome clarification of whether that Ministry had responsibility for overseeing gender mainstreaming in all policies, regulatory measures and spending programmes. She wished to know whether all local government bodies had designated gender focal points. She would be grateful for information on the distribution of responsibilities between the Ministry and the National Council on Gender Development.

29.It would be useful to learn about the obstacles preventing the Office of the Ombudsman from becoming fully compliant with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles) and obtaining category A status.

30.The Committee would welcome statistics, disaggregated by gender, on the inspections performed by the Office of the Prosecutor on the implementation of the legislation on State guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for men and women. She would like to hear about the main results achieved through the implementation of the 2018–2020 National Plan of Action for Gender Equality and about how the Government cooperated with and supported civil society organizations.

31.Ms. Akizuki said that the Committee was concerned about the low proportion of women in local councils and the Zhogorku Kenesh. She would be interested to learn about any plans to introduce a quota system in order to ensure that at least 30 per cent of parliamentarians were women. Information on mechanisms to monitor the implementation of any temporary special measures would be useful. Did the Government intend to introduce temporary special measures in areas where de facto or substantive gender equality had not been achieved, particularly at the decision-making level, in both the public and private sectors?

32.Ms. Alybaeva (Kyrgyzstan) said that the National Council on Women and Gender Development was chaired by the Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers. The secretariat of the Council was provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. A specific unit within the Ministry was responsible for overseeing policies on gender and domestic violence prevention. All State and local government bodies had gender focal points. A council attached to the Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh had also been set up to uphold the rights of women and prevent gender violence.

33.A forum on issues affecting women attended by women members of parliament and high-level government officials had also been held. Furthermore, there had been assemblies (kurultai) of female leaders, with the backing of the forum of women members of parliament, in three provinces, and more such gatherings were planned elsewhere throughout the country. The assemblies had addressed issues ranging from health and education to women’s leadership and gender violence. There had been widespread coverage of the events in the traditional media and on social media platforms.

34.At the local level, 470 domestic violence prevention committees were in operation. Relevant training had been provided to all committee members and was also being rolled out to officials working in local courts and local government bodies and agencies.

35.Mr. Smanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) said that the issue of obtaining category A status for the Office of the Ombudsman had been considered during the drafting of the Constitution adopted in May 2021. A constitutional bill containing provisions to amend the Office’s legal status and nomination procedures had been drafted and would be put forward for adoption as soon as a new parliament was convened.

36.Ms. Alybaeva (Kyrgyzstan) said that robust legislation was in place regulating cooperation with civil society. Contracts were in place for civil society organizations to provide support services for women and other vulnerable groups, such as older persons and persons with disabilities. Consultations with the public sector had taken place as part of the process of drafting the fifth report to the Committee.

37.Between 2004 and 2016, the number of women elected to local councils had decreased. Following the subsequent adoption of the Act on the Election of Representatives of Local Councils, the number of female councillors had quadrupled, and women now made up 37 per cent of local councillors. In the next elections to the Zhogorku Kenesh, 54 of the 90 seats would be filled through national party lists and at least 30 per cent of the candidates fielded by each political party must be women.

38.Mr. Smanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) said that, by constitutional law, in addition to the 54 members who would be elected by proportional representation through party lists, the 36 remaining seats would be decided in individual district races, or by single-winner voting, and women were welcome to stand for election to such seats.

39.Ms. Manalo asked how the Government was addressing the rise in religious fundamentalism, which might have a negative impact on women’s rights.

40.Ms. Rana said that it would be helpful to hear about the obstacles the Government was facing in following the Committee’s recommendation, as set out in the concluding observations on the State party’s fourth report (CEDAW/C/KGZ/CO/4), to develop a comprehensive strategy with proactive and sustained measures aimed at women and men at all levels of society, including religious leaders, to eliminate stereotypes and patriarchal attitudes concerning the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and society and harmful practices.

41.She would be interested to learn whether the Government was considering amending its legislation to ensure that public service broadcasters complied with the relevant principles. She wished to know how the public steering committee of the KTRK television channel ensured that it applied a gender perspective in its review and monitoring of content.

42.She would welcome more details of how and when the Government intended to tackle domestic violence through legislative initiatives. It was unclear what systems were in place to enforce family law and monitor its implementation. She would appreciate more information on the protection measures available to women and girls. In the light of the increased incidence of domestic violence, it would be useful to hear about how women’s voices had been taken into account in the State party’s COVID-19 response plan, in line with the Committee’s guidance note on the Convention and COVID-19.

43.The Committee was concerned at reports of illegal detention of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and threats made against them during marches in 2019 and 2020. Had those incidents been investigated? What measures would be taken to curb discriminatory practices aimed at lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and ensure that the perpetrators were held to account?

44.Ms. Gabr said that the State party was to be commended on the adoption of, inter alia, the programme to combat human trafficking for the period 2017–2020, the law on preventing and combating human trafficking and the decree on the national referral mechanism for victims, and on its investigation and training efforts. However, she understood that the Government had disbanded the national body responsible for coordinating anti-trafficking activities, which had prevented the completion and adoption of the standard operating procedures needed to operationalize the national referral mechanism. She wished to know when those procedures might be finalized and adopted, whether adequate budgetary resources had been allocated to facilitate the coordination of interministerial anti-trafficking activities and what was being done to improve data collection on trafficking cases. She would also appreciate details on the action plan to implement the new programme to combat human trafficking for the period 2021–2024.

45.The Kyrgyz authorities seemed to rely heavily on assistance from international organizations in identifying and providing support services to trafficking victims, and on assistance from NGOs in operating shelters for those persons. She wondered whether, post-COVID-19, the State party might envisage providing NGOs with financial and in-kind support. The Committee had also received reports that Kyrgyz men who were unable to return to the Russian Federation to work often sent their children instead, thus exposing them to the risk of trafficking. If those reports were accurate, the delegation might explain what the State party was doing to remedy that situation.

46.She understood that sex traffickers could be prosecuted under article 171 et seq. of the Criminal Code, which criminalized and punished sex and labour trafficking, and under a later article, which criminalized the act of involving a person in prostitution using force, threat of force or fraud and prescribed a penalty of between 5 and 15 years’ imprisonment, depending on the age of the victim. However, she had reason to believe that, in practice, trafficking offences were often characterized as less serious offences to facilitate investigations and that lighter penalties were often imposed as a result. She would like to know whether that was indeed the case and, if so, whether that practice could perhaps be explained by a lack of training on or awareness of the law on preventing and combating human trafficking.

47.She would be grateful if the delegation could provide additional information on the measures in place to protect women and girls from human trafficking and sexual exploitation in general. She wondered whether the State party had launched or planned to launch a campaign to raise the awareness among the most vulnerable women and girls of the dangers of sex trafficking and whether there was a protocol in place for detecting possible cases of sex trafficking in online recruitment processes. She would also welcome information on the State party’s efforts to reduce demand for commercial sex, protect impoverished widows and women emigrants from sexual exploitation, prevent bride kidnapping and assist victims of that phenomenon.

48.Ms. Isakova (Kyrgyzstan) said that systemic, planned efforts were being made to address harmful phenomena, including as domestic violence, in Kyrgyzstan. The bill to amend the Act on Prevention of and Defence against Domestic Violence had been updated. All existing legislation on domestic violence was in effect. Victims of domestic violence could apply for a temporary protection order. In 2020 and in the first half of 2021, more than 13,000 such orders had been issued. The 2019 legal reform had resulted in the decriminalization of certain acts and the abolition of coercive measures in certain circumstances. However, those reforms had proved to be problematic, as they had removed the possibility of detaining perpetrators of domestic violence. An inter-agency working group had been set up to review the situation, and legislative amendments had been put forward to ensure that violators of temporary protection orders could be detained for up to 48 hours.

49.New laws enacted since the 2019 reform included more stringent measures to combat domestic violence. The Government’s efforts to prevent and combat domestic violence had received broad media coverage. Special investigative police teams had been set up to monitor compliance with temporary protection orders. Standard operating procedures for dealing with women and girls who were victims of violence had been introduced. A special department with a mandate to prevent domestic violence had been created within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Perpetrators of domestic violence were obliged to follow rehabilitation programmes in an effort to prevent recidivism. Educational establishments now provided instruction on human rights and gender equality. Since 2019, 1,600 law enforcement officers had received such training. A total of 49 mobile police units covered all regions of the country, including rural and remote areas, where they documented all cases of domestic violence and determined where assistance should be directed.

50.Ms. Zhusupbekova (Kyrgyzstan) said that, in May 2021, the public health department in Bishkek had held consultations with crisis centres on sanitary and epidemiological issues. In Bishkek, a shelter had been opened for women who were victims of violence. Current legislation on domestic violence had been reviewed and new measures to protect against that phenomenon were envisaged. Medical experts and representatives of NGOs and a studies centre specializing in social demographic processes were involved in that process. As part of a programme spearheaded by the President of Kyrgyzstan, the quality of the medical care provided to victims of domestic violence had been assessed. The Ministry of Health, together with the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan, had developed a guide to assist persons working in the public health sector in preventing and responding to gender-based violence during a public health emergency. The guide, which was in line with international standards, was designed to raise the awareness of medical staff of the causes and dynamics of gender-based violence during the pandemic and to explain how to handle complaints, how to detect cases of domestic violence and how to assist victims of that phenomenon.

51.Medical students had also received training in reproductive health care during emergency situations. In the coming years, further training on assisting victims of domestic violence would be dispensed to medical staff, health workers and officials from the Ministry for Emergency Response. The country’s medical training institutions had reviewed their curricula and delivered training on how to prevent domestic violence and deal with victims of gender-based violence in general. With the assistance of the United Nations Population Fund, four training courses on the provision of integrated reproductive health services, with a focus on preventing and mitigating the consequences of gender-based and domestic violence, stigma and discrimination, had been delivered to key population groups. A protocol for providing medical care to victims of domestic violence and clinical guidelines on providing psychological assistance to victims of gender-based violence were also in place.

52.Ms. Alybaeva (Kyrgyzstan) said that the new programme to combat human trafficking for the period 2021–2024 was currently being considered by the Government with a view to its adoption. The action plan to implement the new programme would cover several priority areas: improving the legislative framework for preventing and countering human trafficking and forced labour; conducting effective investigations into those offences; developing a system for assisting victims; and fostering partnerships and international cooperation to combat human trafficking. The Ministry of Labour and Social Development had been appointed the lead agency for combating human trafficking. A guide on how to identify and assist victims of human trafficking had been prepared. Training on how to use that guide would be dispensed to all relevant officials in 2022. Social protection legislation would be amended to include victims of human trafficking as a particularly vulnerable group.

53.Mr. Esenkanov (Kyrgyzstan) said that, regrettably, the prevalence of domestic violence had increased since the start of the pandemic. In the past, the penalties for bride kidnapping had been lighter and kidnappings had typically been resolved through reconciliation and had seldom been brought before the courts. However, that offence now carried a stiffer penalty of 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment, which, it was hoped, would lead to a decrease in the number of bride kidnappings.

54.Ms. Isakova (Kyrgyzstan) said that, despite the various legislative and programme measures taken to prevent and combat human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan, law enforcement bodies were still confronted with a difficult task. Ministerial instructions on identifying and dealing with victims of human trafficking had been issued and a hotline for trafficking victims had been set up. A broad and comprehensive campaign had been launched to raise citizens’ awareness of the need to prevent human trafficking. Steps were being taken to protect Kyrgyz migrants’ rights in neighbouring countries. Special legal assistance offices had been opened in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, and there were plans to open a similar office in Turkey.

55.Ms. Dettmeijer-Vermeulen said that Kyrgyzstan remained a country of origin for human trafficking and that 90 per cent of persons trafficked abroad were trafficked for the purpose of labour exploitation. While most trafficking victims were men, women could be trafficked and exploited as nannies working for Kyrgyz nationals living abroad. She wished to know how the State party went about preventing that specific form of human trafficking.

56.Ms. Okoeva (Kyrgyzstan) said that the new programme to combat human trafficking for the period 2021–2024 had been developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. Procedures for coordinating inter-agency anti-trafficking activities needed to be devised and anti-trafficking legislation needed to be updated to criminalize all forms of human trafficking, facilitate the prosecution of traffickers, and provide appropriate assistance to victims. The definition of human trafficking contained in the law on preventing and combating human trafficking should also be reviewed and procedures for identifying and rehabilitating trafficking victims should be put in place.

The meeting rose at 12.10 p.m.