These Everyday Humiliations : Violence Against Lesbians, Bisexual Women, and Transgender Men in Kyrgyzstan

J. Stern, S. Long

Violence against women is a nationwide crisis in Kyrgyzstan. But women who are attracted to other women, or who violate rigid gender roles defining how a woman should look or behave, may be singled out for violent retaliation. Moreover, the government ignores their needs and denies their very existence. This report is based on interviews with 17 survivors of abuse who identified as lesbians, bisexual women, women who have sex with women, or transgender men. This report documents how lesbians, transgender men, and women who have sex with other women face violence, rape, psychological abuse, and confinement and stigmatization in Kyrgyzstan. Abuses may happen on the street or in the home, at the hands of strangers or family members. Social prejudice and silence mean that survivors find little practical hope of government protection. Police themselves sometimes abuse lesbian and bisexual women and transgender men, and harass organizations that defend their basic rights. Kyrgyzstan has undertaken promising reforms. In a step forward, in 2003 Kyrgyzstan enacted the Law on Social-Legal Protection from Domestic Violence (the Domestic Violence Law). On paper, the law is highly progressive, and significantly, it recognizes not only spousal abuse but all forms of family violence.