Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Welcome Commendable Efforts in Kazakhstan, Ask about Women’s Access to Justice and Legal Aid
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the sixth periodic report of Kazakhstan, with Committee Experts welcoming commendable efforts by the State, while asking about women’s access to justice and legal aid.
Elgun Safarov, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Kazakhstan, said the criminalisation of forced marriage and stalking, the establishment of shelters and other things were commendable. Another Committee Expert said Kazakhstan had made a number of commendable efforts, including on the concept of gender and family policy. However, the global gender index showed a considerable setback for the country’s situation, revealing that major challenges and disparities existed.
Mr. Safarov said serious barriers hindered women’s access to justice. Survivors of sexual violence suffered from such things as forced re-enactments. Efforts had to be made to protect their rights. Did the new Constitutional framework adequately protect all women, regardless of citizenship status, and why did it not include gender-based violence?
What was the total number of sexual violence survivors who were supported by the State, Mr. Safarov continued, and what legal aid was provided?
Yevgeniy Kochetov, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and head of the delegation, introducing the report, said that protecting women's rights, eradicating discrimination and enforcing zero tolerance for violence had become moral imperatives of State policy and the cornerstone of ongoing reforms.
Regarding access to justice, the delegation said the law ensured free legal consultations for women victims of sexual violence and those who could not defend themselves, paid for through the State budget. Judges were compelled to ensure legal aid on matters of sexual offences. If women lacked legal capacity, they were provided with appropriate support.
On victims of domestic violence and legal assistance, the delegation said the laws adopted in 2022 to expand the scope of those qualified to receive legal aid included victims of domestic violence, and State assistance was guaranteed. There had been a drop in cases of domestic violence, and an increase in grave crimes, including intentional violence. Legal assistance was provided to victims of sexual violence – State legal aid was guaranteed, and the State must provide free legal assistance to all victims of violence. There was also a victims’ fund, and all victims of sexual violence received assistance therefrom.
Mr. Kochetov, in concluding remarks, reaffirmed the State’s commitment to the provisions and principles of the Convention and the promotion of gender equality. The questions that had arisen during the dialogue would be considered, and appropriate measures would be developed to address the concerns, with consistent implementation throughout the national system.
In closing remarks, Nahla Haidar, Committee Chairperson, said the Committee commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged it to make all efforts to implement the recommendations that the Committee would issue.
The delegation of Kazakhstan consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Supreme Court, the Judicial Administration, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kurultai (Parliament), the National Commission for Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy, and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office.
The Committee will issue the concluding recommendations on the report of Kazakhstan at the end of its ninety-third session on 30 October. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 7 October, to consider the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of the Cook Islands (CEDAW/C/COK/4-5).
Report
The Committee has before it the sixth periodic report of Kazakhstan (CEDAW/C/KAZ/6).
Presentation of Report
ERZHAN KAZYKHAN, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that at a time when the United Nations must be particularly mindful in planning and using its resources, Kazakhstan greatly valued this work, and attached fundamental importance to its work with the treaty bodies. A thorough programme of preparatory work was carried out to prepare for this event, and the delegation looked forward to the dialogue. He concluded by wishing all a substantive and constructive exchange.
YEVGENIY KOCHETOV, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and head of the delegation, said that women accounted for approximately 51 per cent of Kazakhstan's population, and the country had set an irreversible course toward building a “Just Kazakhstan” – a society where the rule of law, justice and the inherent dignity of every individual were paramount values. Protecting women's rights, eradicating discrimination and enforcing zero tolerance for violence had become moral imperatives of State policy and the cornerstone of ongoing reforms.
International treaties ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan formed an integral part of its domestic law. State guarantees of equality underpinned a framework of strategic documents. The Presidential Decree-approved concept of family and gender policy set key targets: reducing the gender pay gap to 21.0 per cent, increasing women’s asset ownership by 10 per cent, and ensuring 30 per cent female representation in decision-making and at least 10 per cent in the peace and security sector. Kazakhstan was implementing projects to develop gender budgeting methodologies, foster family-, woman-, and girl-friendly workplace policies, and prevent mobbing, stalking and harassment in the workplace. A continuous dialogue with civil society was maintained.
In compliance with the Convention, Kazakhstan had transitioned from declarative policy to effective temporary special measures. A key instrument was the legislative introduction of a mandatory 30 per cent quota for women and youth on candidate lists of political parties for elections to the Parliament and local representative bodies (maslikhats). In public administration, women made up 55 per cent of civil servants, holding 39 per cent of leadership positions; two women currently headed ministries.
Women's economic independence and social well-being formed the foundation of the State's sustainable development. Kazakhstan had achieved a sustained reduction in poverty. Social protection was targeted: 90 per cent of targeted social assistance recipients were mothers with children. In education and science, the gender gap had been fully eliminated. In healthcare, maternal mortality had declined by 75 per cent. Major measures had been adopted to support women and girls with disabilities under the 2023 Social Code.
Large-scale national awareness campaigns had demonstrated high practical effectiveness: the annual "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" campaign reached over 1.2 million people; "Reproductive Health Week" engaged more than 500,000 citizens; and a campaign against stalking and forced bride kidnapping reached over 700,000 individuals. Regular sociological survey data confirmed a transformation in public attitudes: 69.3 per cent of Kazakh citizens supported expanding female leadership in science, entrepreneurship and civil service; 69.1 per cent welcomed the model of caring, responsible fatherhood; and 76.7 per cent advocated for an equal sharing of domestic labour between spouses.
In April 2024, Kazakhstan enacted a historic legislative landmark – the law on ensuring women’s rights and children’s safety, which fundamentally intensified legal accountability for domestic and gender-based violence. These legislative changes had been accompanied by a decline in domestic violence and related offences. Preventing crime and protecting victims represented fundamental pillars of State policy. A major breakthrough had been achieved in fulfilling article 6 of the Convention regarding the suppression of human trafficking. On 5 July 2024, Kazakhstan enacted its specialised law on countering human trafficking.
The progress achieved by Kazakhstan was objectively reflected in global rankings, such as in the United Nations Development Programme’s human development report 2025, where Kazakhstan ranked sixtieth out of 193 nations, and in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s social institutions and gender index, where Kazakhstan remained among countries with low levels of gender discrimination. Government priorities included closing the gender pay gap, increasing women’s representation in senior leadership and economic decision-making, advancing gender-responsive budgeting, strengthening efforts to prevent domestic violence, and fostering zero tolerance for all forms of discrimination.
Questions by a Committee Expert
ELGUN SAFAROV, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Kazakhstan, said the human rights situation of all women and girls within the State jurisdiction must be reviewed, focusing on the most vulnerable groups, including women in detention, women with HIV, survivors of gender-based violence, refugees and other disadvantaged groups. Kazakhstan stood at a critical crossroads – the new Constitution introduced structural challenges for national legislation. It did not guarantee the primacy of the Convention over national laws, and represented a failure to grasp the opportunity to make positive changes. The criminalisation of forced marriage and stalking, the establishment of shelters and other things were commendable. However, the protection of privacy could never be taken as a means to avoid State responsibility to investigate domestic violence, which was not established as a stand-alone criminal offence.
Serious barriers hindered women’s access to justice, Mr. Safarov said. Survivors of sexual violence suffered from such things as forced re-enactments. Efforts had to be made to protect their rights. Did the new Constitutional framework adequately protect all women, regardless of citizenship status, and why did it not include gender-based violence? What steps were being taken to apply the Convention and the Optional Protocol directly? How many judicial trainings had been held on the Convention and its provisions? What was the total number of sexual violence survivors who were supported by the State, and what legal aid was provided? Regarding digital violence, what concrete steps were being taken to criminalise cyber-violence, cyber-stalking and other forms of discrimination?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said Kazakhstan had a full legislative basis to combat discrimination, any form of which was prohibited in the Constitution. The Constitutional Court was involved in the process to adapt the Constitution, adopting measures on men bringing up children on their own, and on provisions for single men to adopt children. The Constitutional amendments did not include grounds for defaulting on its international obligations. The procedure for applying international treaties was governed by law, and crucially and explicitly established that ratified international treaties had direct precedence over national legislation.
If a law violated Constitutional order, then the Ombudsman had the right to address the Constitutional Court directly, the delegation said. As of 2016, courts had referred to international treaties in over a million cases. On victims of domestic violence and legal assistance, the laws adopted in 2022 to expand the scope of those qualified to receive legal aid included victims of domestic violence, and State assistance was guaranteed. There had been a drop in cases of domestic violence, and an increase in grave crimes, including intentional violence. Legal assistance was provided to victims of sexual violence – State legal aid was guaranteed, and the State must provide free legal assistance to all victims of violence. There was also a victims’ fund, and all victims of sexual violence received assistance therefrom. A pilot project was being carried out called “Protection”, the essence of which was that a woman victim of sexual violence did not have to go to the police, but stayed in a health centre where they could be monitored and cared for, and would be visited there by lawyers.
On cyber-bullying and digital violence, the delegation said that this was an issue to which particular attention was being paid. An independent department had been created to combat cyber-violence in the Ministry of the Interior. There was concern for cyber-bullying of a sexual nature, and measures had been taken to implement the laws on online advertising, identifying cases of online involuntary pornography and dissemination of personal data. The Constitution implemented a norm according to which the entire system had to protect people online, and where it came to personal data and information, there were certain protections in place for all, both men and women. The Prosecutor’s Office also had measures on cyber-protection, having introduced criminal liability for stalking and harassment where digital technologies were used.
Regarding the training of judges, this was carried out in a systemic manner. Trainings were provided on gender awareness, with seminars on the deprivation of parental rights. Judges were trained on sexual offences, including those against children, with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund, and this was ongoing. In legislation, there was not a single rule on domestic violence, but attempts were being made to build this through jurisprudence. Legislation would be introduced to criminalise domestic violence. There was a decree from the Supreme Court on how to implement the rules on domestic violence, even though there was no specific law, making it possible to address this.
Questions by Committee Experts
ELGUN SAFAROV, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Kazakhstan, in follow-up questions, said the Constitution was the foundation document, and it was clear that there was legislation on international agreements and the precedence of these over national legislation. However, the way in which the Constitutional article was interpreted could cause issues in this regard. On awareness of the Convention and its Optional Protocols, he noted that it had not been translated on the Ministry of Justice’s website, and that its dissemination could be significantly improved. On the reform of the statistical data system, he noted that this was underway, and asked whether there was terminology in the Constitution on gender equality in the context of gender-disaggregated data and what measures had been taken to obtain this data. He asked how many cases had been brought before a court on gender-based criminal offences over the last five years.
Other Experts asked whether every woman below the poverty level was provided with free legal aid?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said women received legal aid in the form of consultations and specialised legal defence, and could count on crisis centres where they received medical, psychological and legal support and services. Women who were victims of domestic violence could find shelter there. The Convention was available on the website of the main legal system, and regular campaigns were held to publicise the Convention, including for vulnerable groups. In 2027, a planned cooperation was to be held to provide audio-visual information on the Convention and to translate it into Braille.
On the number of criminal cases on gender discrimination, the delegation said discrimination was prohibited in the Constitution on all grounds; this was reflected in criminal legislation and was prosecuted accordingly. Regarding domestic relations and violence, in 2025 there were 7,000 cases, and in 2024, 4,000 cases were brought forward. In 2025, 3,000 cases resulted in prosecution.
The National Statistics Office provided disaggregated data, which was available on its website. Data was broken down by category, including women. The information system systemised all the data, and it was fully disaggregated by sex, age, disability or other particularity, making disaggregated data available in both the civilian and legal and judicial spheres. Marital rape was a crime, and where there was no evident physical harm, this was not considered a reason to not prosecute. The court looked at evidence as a whole, and cases could be considered in closed hearings. There could also be measures taken regarding children and their testimonies. In 2025, 155 persons were tried for sexual offences. Regarding access to justice, the law ensured free legal consultations for women victims of sexual violence and those who could not defend themselves, paid for through the State budget. Judges were compelled to ensure legal aid on matters of sexual offences. If women lacked legal capacity, they were provided with appropriate support.
Questions by a Committee Expert
A Committee Expert said Kazakhstan had made a number of commendable efforts, including on the concept of gender and family policy. However, the global gender index showed a considerable setback for the country’s situation, revealing that major challenges and disparities existed. Did Kazakhstan plan for a global gender policy strategy distinct from family policies? How did it intend to establish clear accountability mechanisms? What could be expected from the new action plan on implementing the family and gender policy, and how would its results be monitored? In 2022, the Ombudsman received Constitutional status, guaranteeing the right to appeal to the Constitutional Court. Gender equality and women’s protection from violence were vital components of the Ombudsman’s work, but his Office seemed to lack resources and a lack of publicity for its results. What specific measures would the State party take to ensure the full independence of the Ombudsman, in line with the Paris Principles, and to ensure that it had the capacity and budget to protect women’s rights?
Kazakhstan had over 3,000 non-governmental organizations, with more than 500 working on women’s issues. However, many women’s rights organizations faced legislation that restrained their ability to operate, provide aid and secure funding. Feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other organizations often faced harassment. What was the content of the planned changes to the legal framework for non-governmental organizations, and how would these organizations be protected? On temporary special measures, beyond political participation, women remained under-represented in many areas; how was the quota system implemented, monitored and evaluated in political parties and government offices? What measures were planned to address the under-representation of women in roles in areas such as the energy sector?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said there were 200 active non-governmental organizations directly involved in protecting the rights of women and ensuring gender equality. The feminist agenda in Kazakhstan was not monopolised – there were more than 200 organizations that aimed to promote this agenda; thus, to talk about restrictions of the non-governmental organization sector on these matters was unjustified. There were no restrictions on non-governmental organizations promoting a feminist agenda to protect the rights of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other persons. On discrimination and restrictions against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other such propaganda, there were no such restrictions, except for propaganda aimed at children: this was more preventive in nature.
On the Ombudsman, it was institutionalised at the constitutional level, which guaranteed its independence. The Office had a separate budget line, with resources ensured at a certain level. The Ombudsman was appointed by the Head of the Centre for Human Rights. It was financially independent in line with the Paris Principles. There were no particular requirements for who should be appointed to the Ombudsman’s post. The new article in legislation prohibiting forced marriage originated from the Ombudsman’s Office. The Office also had an awareness-raising role, including on the rights of women. In 2026, particular attention was being paid to the rights of women in detention. The recommendations of the Ombudsman were sent to all Government bodies and institutions.
On feminine gender policy, the delegation said with regard to the drop on the global gender index, after the 2026 elections, there had been a historic increase in women’s representation as a result of several measures taken by political parties and the Government. Work was being done on the economic component, and attracting women entrepreneurs. It was expected that Kazakhstan's position would go back up at the next release of the index. In all regions, there were commissions on women’s affairs under the heads of the region, with the main task of integrating gender approaches directly into the work of the local authorities. There were also gender advisors since 2024, showing the whole ecosystem coordinating the implementation of gender strategy in the country, working closely with the non-governmental organization sector. A concept on family and gender policy was adopted in 2016, and it was currently being updated for the second time. Non-governmental organizations had been involved in this, and there would probably be a separation of family and gender policies; however, there were already separate indicators for both elements.
A plan had been adopted to ensure equal rights between men and women. It was agreed that there were not enough women in decision-making roles, but there were mechanisms that would be stepped up to ensure parity. A lot had been done in the national commissions, and there had been many training courses for women to prepare them to take full part of political life, empower them, and encourage them in their activities. Regarding the gender policy advisors, these were regional and aimed to attract women to political life through a wide range of means and activities, including education and training. Kazakhstan was looking at how to build women’s capacity to build their dreams and help them take part in political processes, including standing for elections and building manifestos. There were school programmes to eliminate gender discrimination and build equality. The delegation hoped this comprehensive approach would improve the situation.
Follow-up Questions by a Committee Expert
In follow-up questions, a Committee Expert asked what was planned to reform the non-governmental organization law? Were there plans to apply for “A” status for the national human rights institution according to the Paris Principles? Temporary special measures were not only quota-based, and she commended the comprehensive approach to this taken by Kazakhstan, saying this was a very good idea. On family and gender policy, she said gender policy was more specific than just family policy.
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said on the development of the civil society sector, this was distributed between different laws in different areas. The idea of the new law was to combine all of these in one compact document, which would help to meet the modern-day challenges. The second task was to raise the level and status of non-governmental organizations in their work, and this could only be done at the country-wide level. The new act would allow such mechanisms to be established at the regional level. The previous laws had been adopted in the early 2000s, and their terminology was somewhat obsolete. Regarding funding, Kazakhstan would not go down the track of restricting foreign funding and would abide by the principles of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Regarding the A status of the national human rights institution, the delegation said that it would indeed like to achieve this, and that was why it had its own roadmap and vision in this regard. A national rule on the Ombudsperson had been adopted with provisions for the funding and independence of the institution.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked if there was a prevention strategy with clear baselines, outcome targets and evaluations on women’s strategies? Did the work on assessing stereotypes include practices prioritising women’s status? Following the repeal of the dedicated domestic prevention law, what protections had been retained, changed or removed? What was taking place regarding that? Civil society identified offences that required a victim’s complaint, and she asked when prosecutions could begin without a complaint? What safeguards were there to prevent police, family and perpetrators from pressuring women to withdraw complaints? She also asked for data on how many domestic violence and rape cases continued to be prosecuted, and how many were withdrawn and why. If women did experience further serious violence or were killed after cases were withdrawn, what were the figures? Did the statistics actually correlate to a real decrease in cases of domestic violence?
Regarding criminal liability for battery and minor physical harm, including cyber-violence, how were the reforms translated into effective accountability and prevention? How was the State ensuring the provision of adequate shelters for victims of sexual violence, including migrant women and women living with HIV? There appeared to be a continued emphasis in the Code and excessive weight on physical injuries and clear physical evidence. Would the State party amend the relevant articles to make the absence of clearly given consent the prime criterion? The new forced marriage offence was commended; however, the evidence included conflicting accounts of the number and range of exceptions.
One Committee Expert asked if there were specific measures covering migrant and trafficked women, and what provisions existed to protect trafficked women, as the time limits appeared to show that they could lose essential support if the process took more than three days? Although women living with HIV could not be denied access to a centre, the general provision on infectious diseases seemed to show that this could be denied in fact. There was no systematic cooperation with non-governmental organizations across the entire system dealing with trafficked women. What obstacles had been identified in the face of the high number of archived cases, particularly regarding immigrant women undergoing deportation? Did the State intend to include no penalty in law for victims who had been forced into illegal activities? How did the State guarantee that assistance for victims included compensation, and were there mechanisms ensuring their compensation when the perpetrator had been imprisoned or deported? How would Kazakhstan leverage domestic infrastructure to create a monitoring system?
Response by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said monitoring of the implementation of the gender policy was being ensured: the country did recognise the existence of gender stereotypes, and this was measured every year following a request by the State. This was enshrined in the gender policy roadmap, valid until 2027. More and more of the population believed that high political offices could be held regardless of gender. There was a school subject on personal safety, including a significant chunk of material on gender policy and gender perception. There were large-scale actions, encompassing State bodies and all the international organizations present in Kazakhstan, as well as non-governmental organizations active in reproductive health, that worked to break down stereotypes, including on reproductive health. It was a large, integrated experience. Under the aegis of the National Commission on Women, every year a forum was held on fathers, strengthening their domestic role. Information campaigns were held on bride kidnapping and stalking. When young people decided to marry, it was often to save resources - bride kidnapping was losing popularity, and the number of those viewing it positively was decreasing. Measures were being taken to gauge how stereotypes were changing.
The eradication of gender stereotypes was not a one-off measure, but systemic, aiming to ensure a situation of respect and equality among the youth of the country. Changes had been made to the Government’s education standards, including gender equality in textbooks, and changes in teaching materials. There were teachers and subject-matter experts working to make these changes. Working on stereotypes was built into all different subject areas at school.
In accordance with the new law, the State had changed the very philosophy underpinning work in the field of domestic violence. There was no need for a direct complaint from the victim any more for investigations to begin - it was sufficient for the offence to be detected or reported by a third party for the investigation to begin, and this investigation was mandatory. Domestic violence was no longer passed over in silence. On statistical data, there had been a decrease in domestic violence of 24 per cent in the first six months of 2026. Killings had dropped by 20 per cent during the same period.
On preventive measures, a law had been adopted on psychological and economic violence, including legal and other forms of assistance to victims. The focus was really on preventing these crimes, and work was being done to increase capacity to do so. When the domestic violence act was repealed, all measures were brought together under a new law to ensure that full protection was provided with no duplication under the various other acts. A series of measures had been retained from the previous law, but there were now other measures, such as prevention for victims, and new measures on how to work with the perpetrator to reduce re-offending. Special services given to meet the needs of victims and the State examined these to ensure that they met certain standards. The number of crisis centres had led to better quality of the services given.
In the Criminal Code, there was a category of aggravating circumstances, including those with a sexual element, such as rape, and these were prosecuted with these criteria considered. Lack of consent was considered in all elements of the criminal case. On combatting human trafficking, the delegation said the State paid particular attention to combatting this, rescuing victims and prosecuting perpetrators, with one organised legal system to combat the phenomenon, identify victims, and provide social services to them. Particular attention was paid to the issue of victims, providing medical, legal and psychological assistance. The State was assisted by non-governmental organizations.
The State focused on preventing crimes through awareness-raising, and then prosecution.
Follow-up Questions by Committee Experts
In follow-up questions, a Committee Expert asked for a clarification on the legal age of marriage. She also asked a further question on shelters. How many prosecutions for domestic violence had been carried out without a complaint. She wondered whether the decrease in reported figures was due to under-reporting, and asked whether the figure reported on “killings” referred to femicide? She asked the State party to consider the specificities around domestic violence referring to economic and psychological violence in the act.
The Expert asked for specific information on the existence of a unified and comparable information system ensuring that follow-up could take place for all victims, and whether there was any way to leverage the State’s existing digital infrastructure to do this. What was being done to stop the deportation of undocumented migrant women to prevent them from becoming victims of trafficking?
Other Experts asked for information on statistics on motherhood and health, and how prizes given to women who had more than 6 or 7 births did not contradict efforts to eliminate stereotypes? Were there plans to prepare the national legislation for cybersecurity issues, including online domestic violence?
Response by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said the legislation foresaw liability for bullying and cyber-bullying, including for minors, with measures already enshrined and functioning. On the integrated system making it possible to monitor follow-up, there was a Committee on Statistics which covered all recording of information. From the moment when a complaint arrived, no matter whether from a victim, a witness or an institution, the Police took the necessary measures, investigating, documenting and determining who the various parties to the complaint were, including witnesses, all of which was digitised. All Police acts were recorded in the electronic databases, alongside all of the information, and interference was prosecuted.
On marital age, the delegation said the age for registration of marriage was foreseen as a minimum of 18, but there were specific cases such as pregnancy where this age could be lowered, with the consent of all parties, and, in the cases of minors, with parental consent. Regarding migrant women, labour migrants were protected by the Labour Code and in accordance with specific legislative measures, such as the Social Code, which provided for specific social services to be provided. Migrants had the right to appeal to the courts and the Ombudsperson. Regarding the awards to mothers of many children, they were a form of encouragement for these women, and there were measures of support provided to such families. This was done to combat the effects of poverty, as large families were more vulnerable to such poverty.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said the increase of women’s representation following the introduction of the quota demonstrated that targeted measures had results, and noted that quotas should not be seen as a ceiling but a minimum floor. What concrete measures would be taken to ensure that effective enforcement and monitoring of gender quotas took place? It was time for Kazakhstan to lead in the region. Would it consider implementing measures to ensure 50/50 parity in various fields? What mechanisms were in place to ensure transparent and gender-sensitive candidate selection to political parties?
Women remained significantly under-represented among Kazakhstan’s ambassadors. What measures would be taken to ensure women’s equal access to senior representative posts? On rural women, leadership and capacity-building programmes appeared to be mostly urban-located, and women in rural areas faced a wide range of barriers and fewer opportunities to participate in State processes. What was the State doing to reverse this and ensure their participation in decision-making, among others? What measures would be undertaken to establish a system for collecting and publishing sex-disaggregated data on women’s participation at all levels?
One Committee Expert addressed birth registration, noting that several constitutional provisions still restricted the enjoyment of certain rights for women and girls living within the State party, given the rules on registering a child born outside a medical centre when the parents lacked identification documents, as thus children were not registered and lacked birth documents, and therefore faced discrimination including lack of access to vaccination and nationality, among others. Had the 1954 Convention on the rights of stateless persons been ratified, and if so, was it going to be domesticated into national legislation? Could national legislation be amended to allow refugees to apply for registration, with particular attention given to the situation of refugee women and their families? Would Kazakhstan consider strengthening inter-agency collaboration and create clear action plans to improve the implementation of the amended legislation to address the systematic barriers faced by the children of undocumented and marginalised women and parents?
Response by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said currently, in Parliament, there were national quotas, and 34 per cent of members were now women, but quotas were indeed just a minimum, and a system needed to be developed through which women could develop their political participation. There were programmes to promote women to decision-making leadership roles in the civil service. On rural women at the local level, there were no specific quotas. Elections to rural leadership such as mayors were not specific, but women could be elected to these posts. Women were being encouraged to join political parties and non-governmental organizations. Women played a significant leadership role across Kazakhstan’s foreign service. Regarding their representation at headquarters, this had reached 40 per cent, and some important areas were led by women.
Pursuant to the Code on Marriage, birth registration was done on the basis of a medical certificate, and pursuant to law, a provision had been added to ensure that children who were born outside such medical institutions could be registered. Timely State registration of the birth of such children and for undocumented mothers could be done through a specific system. Refugee children could also be registered through the State. On migration, the State was working actively to reduce statelessness, and any child born within the territory of Kazakhstan to refugee or stateless parents was registered as a citizen of Kazakhstan, irrespective of whether the parents were married or not. These children enjoyed all rights, including the right to travel. There was a vaccination programme ensuring that all children enjoyed health, and free medical access for stateless persons. Persons seeking asylum had guaranteed medical assistance in agreement with international agreements, and were provided with emergency care if injured or pregnant and/or giving birth.
On the ratification of the 1954 Convention and the 1962 Convention on Statelessness, the law recognised the provisions of these conventions, and gave stateless persons equal rights in education, healthcare and employment. Documentation was ensured for every newborn, regardless of their parents’ status. Equal nationality and safeguards against arbitrary deprivation of nationality were ensured under both international conventions and national legislation.
Follow-up Questions by a Committee Expert
In follow-up questions, a Committee Expert noted that there were still certain challenges for some residents of Kazakhstan, and suggested the adoption of enabling mechanisms so that the various ministries could work more closely together in a more inter-agency way to strengthen collaboration and ensure the implementation of all the mechanisms that were put into place.
The Expert noted she had suggested a few things on how to improve parity and hoped these would be put into place. She noted that the figures with regards to women Ambassadors were extremely low, and said these should be improved. Was there a system to collect data on women’s participation in different sectors and at different levels?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said the 40 per cent figure represented women holding posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gender balance was an aspirational foreign policy target. On migration, the concept on migration was covered by one single system, and there was a commission dealing with all revisions in policy, while monitoring was being carried out through the integrated information system run by the migration police.
On disaggregated data, there was gender-disaggregated data available publicly on a website. Surveys were also carried out on such topics as women and trade. Kazakhstan also participated in the United Nations Inter-Agency Expert Group on Gender Statistics.
Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts noted, among other things, that the 2026 report identified a number of factors undermining educational activities, including challenges to infrastructure, the need for parity in education decision-making systems to ensure that women were equally represented, rural disparities, and the need for age-appropriate sexual education. The Experts asked what urgent measures the State was taking to ensure equal access to quality and inclusive education for all women and girls? What was being done to finance the education system to ensure that it met the specific needs of rural women and girls? Based on the heavy use of artificial intelligence and how the Government was looking at this to address the lack of teachers, what was being done to ensure gender parity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics topics, and how would it ensure that the use of artificial intelligence platforms would not perpetuate and reinforce gender stereotypes? What urgent actions were being taken to ensure accountability for harassment and cyberbullying in the education system?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said the State was adopting all necessary measures to ensure access to quality education and was adopting a comprehensive approach, including supporting small rural schools and ensuring they had teachers. There was a transport barrier in isolated areas, where the local authorities therefore provided free transport. There were different programmes for teacher training every year, and the grants for experts were being increased every year. All measures were being taken to attract talented young people to the teaching profession. Digital resources were being made available to ensure that all children had access to a science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. New schools were being built, some of which were in rural areas, with modern science laboratories, science, technology, engineering and mathematic zones, computer classes and robot technology departments.
On artificial intelligence, training teachers used international standards, and today the higher educational institutions already had curricula that took into account the use of artificial intelligence. Two years ago, a programme had been implemented to modernise middle school education through a World Bank programme, and a comprehensive educational model had been adopted and was now integrated through all the curricula. A methodology had been developed and specially trained teachers were educated. Regarding sexual harassment, Kazakhstan was currently working actively to ensure safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory environments in all higher educational institutions as well as others. The conditions for inclusive education had been created in 95 per cent of schools, and 90 per cent of colleges. Some 2,035 children had been identified as having special needs, and work had been carried out to ensure that they had full access to a quality education. Today, not only an inclusive environment was being created, but the contents of courses were also inclusive.
Questions by a Committee Expert
ELGUN SAFAROV, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Kazakhstan, said many steps had been taken towards an inclusive employment environment. However, moving from legislative intent to systematic compliance required closing multiple implementation gaps. There was a need for robust, mandate-driven pay equality policies. Women shouldered far more domestic care than men, and maternity leave was insufficient. Without a comprehensive national care strategy and investment in quality care, access to flexible work would fall by the wayside. National legislation lacked a clear and comprehensive definition of harassment. What was the Government’s strategy to close the gender pay gap and ensure that women had full access to banking? Were there plans to extend maternity and paternity leave for vulnerable groups, and to extend paternity leave as a whole? What support policies, such as flexible learning, were being strengthened to ensure that young mothers could enter the labour market? What kind of activities and measures had been and would be adopted by the State party and the national legislation act to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that a bill was being planned that foresaw a full and comprehensive definition of sexual harassment and the procedures for the exchange of data between bodies. Regarding equal remuneration, the Labour Code included non-discrimination on this topic. To date, the pay gap was linked to the fact that mostly men worked in more hazardous professions, where the pay was generally higher, but the level of wages between men and women was covered on the principle of equal pay for equal work, and therefore discrimination was not present.
On social support for young families, there were social benefits in place to help with pregnancy and birth. Regarding childcare for children with disabilities, benefits were foreseen and there were also allowances for large families. In terms of pensions, the total amount was calculated on the basis of the care provided to a child up to the age of three, although there were also some up to the age of 12, and in the case of a child with disabilities, up to the age of 18. The Labour Code had a rule on domestic work, and the hiring and termination of contracts were all regulated and overseen by the Code.
On parental leave, the Ministry of Culture and Information oversaw family policy. In Kazakhstan today, leave was being actively used by men: there was no discrimination against those taking parental leave. Moreover, there was a campaign which had led to this trend actually gathering pace. The term of “domestic worker” was not applied exclusively to women from a legal perspective. The gender gap in terms of pay was also showing a positive trend and was decreasing, as the list of prohibited professions for women had been removed. Many women were entering into new professions, with girls going to University and studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics topics, which meant they would be able to enter higher-paid professions.
Comment by a Committee Expert
ELGUN SAFAROV, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Kazakhstan, noted the considerable progress that had taken place over previous years, but there was still a lot to do, in particular with regard to equality in pay and pay for domestic workers. Kazakhstan had one of the higher degrees of digital policy.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that women on maternity leave received a proportion of their salary. There were measures under consideration for complaints against an employer and cases of harassment.
Questions by Committee Experts
Taking up another article of the Convention, Committee Experts said women’s health was an asset, and the Government had to invest in it. Kazakhstan had youth-friendly health centres. Still, serious and often systemic inequalities existed in women’s access to health. Migrants and refugees were excluded from emergency health services. How would the compulsory health system be made to cover refugee and migrant women to ensure they had comprehensive access to reproductive and contraceptive health? Sexual education did not completely follow international procedures. Was there a timeline for ensuring that there was age-appropriate, comprehensive and obligatory sexual education in schools? What measures and reforms were being taken to ensure that women with disabilities had full access to reproductive and contraceptive health?
Many women were discouraged from accessing mental health services, and often reported stigma and verbal abuse. What measures were being taken and were being planned to ensure that all women and girls had access to such services freely, without harassment or stigma? What was being done to ensure the reproductive rights of women with HIV? Evidence existed that women living with HIV were under pressure to terminate pregnancies. Clear legal safeguards to halt such coercion were ineffective or not enforced, and this needed to be remedied so that women could exercise their rights to self-determination and health. When would the provision in the Criminal Code on the transmission of HIV be repealed, as it often negatively impacted women? How did the State party plan to eliminate, in law, all institutional restrictions impeding women with HIV from accessing protective services?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said there was a sustainable vaccination process and access for migrants to health care, regardless of their legal status, and all foreign nationals in the country were provided with medical care when their medical status threatened the health of others. Regarding guaranteed services, foreigners who were temporarily resident had the right to access urgent care, accident and emergency care, and support for pregnant women. Medical care and transport could be provided either through a paying basis or through voluntary medical insurance. The right to free medical assistance for foreigners was provided on an equal basis as that provided to Kazakh citizens. In 2025, residential medical care was given to over 1,900 foreigners, and 1,800 cases were for grave medical causes. Support had been given to pregnant teenage girls. More than 48,347 foreign children were under medical observation in Kazakhstan.
On medical assistance for women with HIV and for women in the penal system, they were provided with care, with clinical standards stipulated and applied. Almost all women received care and HIV testing. There was a medical commission that determined whether treatment was required on a needs basis. On women within the penal system, access to prophylactic services, consultations, testing for HIV/AIDS, the administration of prophylactic services, and the provision of contraceptives were all ensured. There were no forms of discrimination against women with HIV/AIDS who could benefit from all the necessary forms of medical aid, regardless of their citizenship status.
For women with disabilities and reproductive technologies, such a decision was taken on the basis of a consultation process and the consideration by a group of doctors. There were no provisions forcing women with HIV/AIDS to have an abortion, and this was not done in ways that violated the relevant international protocols. The termination of pregnancies of women with HIV/AIDS did not usually take place unless the viral load was high, and there had been a consultation and a recommendation made by a group of doctors. In this case, it was not forced, only recommended.
Reproductive and sexual education was part of compulsory education. Providing knowledge of human reproductive health was part of the programme, and included information on forms of contraception, the menstrual cycle, sexual diseases and how to prevent their transmission, physiological differences, and others. There were personal safety classes given in all educational establishments since 2024, looking at risk, personal boundaries, preventing violence, and accessing health; these were weekly activities. This approach had been intensified by a special programme on reproductive health for a range of classes, based on the principles of age, covering personal hygiene, personal safety, emotional maturity, responsible behaviour, reproductive health and preventing and avoiding risky situations. Around 136,000 teachers had been involved in training courses on matters linked to these topics. There were special social services with special psychological, social and legal services in crisis centres.
Follow-up Questions by Committee Experts
In follow-up questions, Committee Experts asked what measures were in place to monitor discrimination against women in State healthcare situations, in particular against women with disabilities, with HIV/AIDS, or drug users, and what was being done to counter this discrimination? More awareness was required for women with HIV/AIDS or drug users to avoid discrimination. There had been a big increase in the numbers of persons with Alzheimer’s over the last five years, which disproportionately affected women. What measures had the State taken to promote research, collect disaggregated data, and ensure treatment for women with Alzheimer’s in Kazakhstan?
Responses by the Delegation
On vulnerable women, the delegation said the receipt of medical assistance for all was guaranteed by the Health Code of the Republic - there was no issue of persons with disabilities not receiving medical assistance, and no facts had been reported in this context. All medical services were provided to pregnant mothers, including early screening, measures to support children if a parent had a disability, and many other forms of support. If a woman was in the penitentiary service and had HIV, she received consultations, diagnostic work, and medication; there were no barriers to receiving medical assistance. There were 44 women in the penitentiary system with disabilities, and all medical support was being provided to them.
On the rights of patients in psychological establishments, as per the Health Code and Constitution, the health system was guided towards adopting all measures to support them, including criminal cases being brought if necessary if their rights had been violated. There was a national preventative mechanism to prevent abuse, and establishments could be visited with no prior warning, with information provided to the Prosecutor’s Office if necessary. A roadmap was being developed for older persons, and it would include a specific cluster of provisions on diagnosing persons with Alzheimer’s, as well as a chapter on mental health.
Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts noted that evidence received showed that informal employment and unpaid care left gaps in protection for women, including reductions in pensions. How would income support connect with childcare and support services? How did the State party aim to close eligibility gaps and remove restrictions on entrepreneurial activities, including access to banking services for women? How would women’s entrepreneurial programmes ensure State funding, and how would they access women in rural areas? What funded measures ensured women’s access to climate financing and opportunities in the green transition?
Responses by the Delegation
Today, women who did not work had the right to monthly benefits, the delegation said, and if they had several children, they may also receive benefits for larger families. For those working in the informal sector, there were also benefits for loss of work and loss of income. If they could pay contributions themselves, there could also be benefits for working mothers. There were housing rights for mothers with several children, who had the right to housing from the State.
On environmental and climate issues for rural women, Kazakhstan recognised that climate change affected men and women differently, particularly rural women and single mothers, who faced disproportionate challenges. The burden of unpaid and domestic care work was increased by climate change. Kazakhstan was integrating gender equality into its climate resilience and infrastructure measures. Complementing this, the national adaptation plan embedded gender-sensitive issues into environmental measures. Providing water access to rural communities remained a prime environmental issue, and access was also provided to women. The Government was fully supporting women in the face of these unprecedented challenges.
On equal access by girls to sports and culture, the delegation said there was a whole list of State grants and bursaries which encouraged activities for girls and women in particular in those fields. There were forms of funding available which actively supported women’s participation and initiatives. There was a specific mortgage programme for women supported by the State Bank. Kazakhstan was particularly flexible in terms of gender-sensitive instruments, developing them, adopting them, and implementing them.
Follow-up Questions by Committee Experts
In follow-up questions, Committee Experts noted reports of some restrictions in relation to cultural spaces and expressions of sexuality and gender, and asked how the State party ensured access to cultural activities and funding, in particular for lesbian, trans and intersex women? There were reports that care benefits may be means-tested; was this true?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said regarding discrimination against certain organizations, there were no restrictions on dissemination activities on protecting reproductive health, for instance. There were restrictions in place only where propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation took place targeting children. There were no restrictions against non-governmental organizations working this field. Regarding the use of gender-sensitive budgeting, this was currently being introduced in State budgeting, and Kazakhstan had been piloting it in certain ministries when planning the budget.
Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts asked questions on discrimination affecting certain groups. Regarding rural women, there was concern about the lack of disaggregated data in the 2022 land register, and about participation and leadership in cooperatives. There was also concern about the lack of an integral framework against discrimination against women and girls with disabilities. There was a lack of sex- and disability-disaggregated data. What measures had been taken to replace the guardian-based system with a supported system? There was concern for a legislative proposal seeking to limit protection and ensure reallocation of refugee women; what measures did the State intend to take to ensure that reforms did not undermine the protection and integration of refugee women?
There was concern about the lack of provisions to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans families; what measures was the State taking to protect lesbian, bisexual and trans women and their families? Were there lesbian, bisexual and trans women holding high Governmental offices or positions? How did the State intend to remove discriminatory provisions and practices against women engaged in sex work? What measures did it intend to adopt to address the specific needs of women deprived of liberty and to broaden alternative sentencing for pregnant women and women with young children, in accordance with the Bangkok Rules? Did the State intend to adopt legislation on the protection of the rights of human rights defenders? How would the State ensure the effective participation of organizations for lesbian, bisexual and trans persons and others in the preparation and discussion around new bills?
Response by the Delegation
Responding on reports of restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, the delegation said the feminist agenda had not been monopolised by a single non-governmental organization, so to speak of refusals to hold assemblies was incorrect. Traditionally, there were marches dedicated to women’s rights, such as on 8 March, and the Constitutional Court had already started to implement reforms allowing the Government to justify refusals and suggest an alternative time or place for such assemblies. The State did not equate the notions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans persons and paedophilia- any allegations of such were based on a misunderstanding by certain non-governmental organizations. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans persons were not prohibited in the Constitution - the fundamental principle was that discrimination on any grounds was forbidden; all that was forbidden was propaganda on non-traditional ways of life targeted at children.
Kazakhstan was consistently taking measures to improve the situation of women in the prison system, in agreement with the Mandela and Bangkok Rules, having broadened the rights of convicted women, who were provided with medical care, visits, telephone calls and care packages. There were modern diagnostic, medical, and dental equipment available, and resocialisation and reinsertion programmes. Measures were being taken to humanise the penal system, preserve family ties, provide skills education, and ensure women could readapt to life once released. All women’s prisons were in line with international standards. For women with young children, mandatory information was provided to local bodies so that, once released, their social adaptation would be ensured.
On decriminalisation, the delegation said that women living with HIV were protected by law, provided with medicine, and had their rights protected. All human considerations were taken into account when a woman was prosecuted, which could lead to a shorter sentence or alternative punishments being adopted.
Follow-up Questions by Committee Experts
In follow-up questions, Committee Experts raised again the inclusion under the same legislation of the prohibition of paedophilia and the prohibition of non-traditional sexual orientation propaganda, and whether there were lesbian, gay and trans women at high levels in local and regional politics? Would the State party consider a rephrasing of the words contained in the above legislation and the wording banning positive mentions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans plus topics?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the conclusions of the Committee were understood and the issues would be discussed within the State party. There were no transgender persons understood to be in high level positions. Nobody had been punished for propaganda under the legal provisions mentioned by the Committee.
Questions by Committee Experts
Experts applauded the State party for governing marriage and partnerships under civil law. What measures had the State party taken to prevent underage marriage, polygamy and forced marriage? Were women who lived in unregistered, de-facto marriages granted access to property, child support and alimony upon separation? Did the State party take into account that women subordinated by traditional practices must have their rights protected? Did it take into account the phenomenon of fathers not paying child support and avoiding the equitable division of property, and what did it do to remedy and prosecute this? What was being done to prevent gender-based inheritance discrimination by husbands and fathers? What was being done to protect surrogate birth mothers?
Responses by the Delegation
Responding, the delegation said there was a need for full and free consent by both the man and woman entering into a marriage, and the law provided for the age of consent to be 18. The parents were responsible for minor children, whether they were married, separated or divorced, and this could be done through agreement between the parties or through a court ruling. Child support could be determined through the courts. The children of unmarried parents had the same rights and benefits as those of married parents. A child’s opinion was taken account of in custody issues if they were aged 10 or older. Each parent was responsible for the child, but the parent with custody would receive child support, which was considered from the real income. State benefits for children with disabilities were not means-tested.
On surrogate mothers, there were 739 cases of births through surrogacy, with 87 foreign parents who had “ordered” a baby. According to a law signed by the President, couples who were officially married could seek surrogacy only if they were citizens of Kazakhstan. There were many moral, medical, legal and ethical issues surrounding the question of surrogacy. Work was being done to address these challenges.
Concluding Remarks
YEVGENIY KOCHETOV, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and head of the delegation, said Kazakhstan was pleased to have opened the Committee’s session. It was grateful for the opportunity to present the sixth periodic report, and reaffirmed its commitment to the provisions and principles of the Convention and the promotion of gender equality. The questions that had arisen during the dialogue would be considered and appropriate measures developed to address the concerns, with consistent implementation throughout the national system. Kazakhstan would take all measures to protect women’s rights and ensure consistent gender equality.
NAHLA HAIDAR, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation. She had taken note of many ways in which Kazakhstan fought discrimination and had found them very interesting. The Committee commended the State party for its efforts and encouraged it to make all efforts to implement the recommendations that the Committee would issue. Several recommendations would be selected for immediate follow-up, and the State party should pay particular attention to these and submit a report on them within the deadline.
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CEDAW26.015E