During its October 6 review by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Kazakhstan pledged new legislation to make domestic violence a standalone crime – a timely commitment. Now the government should turn words into action.
On September 23, Zhazira Adauova, a mother of two, died after her ex-husband stabbed her 16 times in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital. Zhazira’s family told the media she had repeatedly reported threats and violence to police. Four former police officers are under investigation for alleged negligence in handling her case.
Elvira Erkebayeva, from western Kazakhstan, endured two decades of domestic violence, including having boiling water thrown in her face. Instead of protecting her and holding her former husband accountable, authorities prosecuted Elvira in 2025 for allegedly conspiring to murder him because she wanted to “find a firearm.”
As in manyother cases, Kazakh authorities failed to protect women who sought protection against further violence, even when they had obtained multiple protection orders. Perpetrators are often held accountable only after killing their victims.
Kazakhstan no longer has a dedicated law on domestic violence, and the latest reforms still did not establish domestic violence as a standalone criminal offense. The 2009 Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence was repealed by the Law on Prevention of Offences, which entered into force in March addresses domestic violence within a broader prevention framework.
The Kazakh delegation claimed during its CEDAW review that “enforcing zero tolerance for violence had become … the cornerstone of ongoing reforms,” and that in 2024 Kazakhstan had “intensified legal accountability for domestic … violence.” Yet CEDAW experts rightly questioned the effectiveness of existing measures, and the Committee’s Rapporteur for Kazakhstan underscored that domestic violence is still not a standalone criminal offence.
Under CEDAW and the Committee’s General Recommendation No. 35, states must prevent, investigate, prosecute, and ensure accountability for gender-based violence.
Kazakhstan should adopt reforms to make domestic violence a standalone offence, strengthen and improve enforcement of the protection order mechanism, ensure interventions are effective and perpetrators held accountable, and guarantee survivors’ access to justice and services. Kazakhstan’s international partners should press for these reforms.
Accountability after a woman is dead is no substitute for timely protection and prevention. Kazakh authorities need to ensure that women in Kazakhstan receive meaningful protection and assistance before violence escalates or turns fatal.