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Barriers to Help-Seeking for Domestic Violence in Kyrgyzstan: Perspectives of Criminal Justice, Social, Health, and Educational Professionals

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Abstract

Purpose

Research with survivors of domestic violence (DV) suggests that most do not seek supportive services from formal organizations. The purpose of this study is to understand the structural and legal barriers that prevent survivors of DV from seeking help in Kyrgyzstan from the perspectives of professionals within the areas of law enforcement, judicial system, social, health, and educational sectors working directly with survivors.

Methods

We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews and 8 focus groups with 83 professionals who are employed as domestic violence or legal advocates, psychologists, healthcare providers, educators, and law enforcement officials who had worked with the survivors of DV in their current positions. We analyzed the data using a multistep strategy derived from grounded theory methods.

Results

The findings of the study highlighted six structural barriers: (1) financial dependence on the abuser, (2) stigma and shame of seeking help, (3) few crisis centers and rigid acceptance criteria for temporary protection, (4) the normalization and societal acceptance of abuse, (5) a lack of property rights for women, and (6) distrust of formal services. The participants indicated five legal barriers, including the following: (1) insufficient sanctions for abusers, (2) unclear provisions and inadequate enforcement of law, (3) a low likelihood of prosecution, (4) poor procedures, stereotypes of survivors, and revictimization during investigations, and (5) protection for abusers who work in positions of power.

Conclusions

The structural and legal barriers that survivors face when seeking help are formidable challenges that will require extensive support from professionals working in the fields of criminal justice, social work, and public health. Findings suggest that both short-term and longer-term interventions that require sustainability of prevention efforts are necessary to address barriers to help-seeking identified in the study.

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Funding

Research for this article was supported in part by the Title VIII Research Scholar (or Combined Research and Language Training) Program, which is funded by the US State Department, Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) and administered by American Councils for International Education. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of either the US Department of State or American Councils for International Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arlington School of Social Work, University of Texas, 211 S. Cooper St., Box 19129, Arlington, TX, 76019-0129, USA

    Saltanat Childress, Nibedita Shrestha, Kendall Anekwe & Eusebius Small

  2. Office of the Provost, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, Campus, Box 1072-0105-02, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA

    Mary McKay

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  1. Saltanat Childress
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  2. Nibedita Shrestha
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Correspondence to Saltanat Childress.

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Ethics Approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Wisconsin-Madison FWA00005399/American University of Central Asia FWA00021368 (Dated March 3, 2018/No. IRB00009645).

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Childress, S., Shrestha, N., Anekwe, K. et al. Barriers to Help-Seeking for Domestic Violence in Kyrgyzstan: Perspectives of Criminal Justice, Social, Health, and Educational Professionals. Glob Soc Welf 9, 179–192 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-022-00226-x

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