Recent data reveals a marked shift in attitudes toward domestic violence among women in Kazakhstan. While the number of women who justify abuse has declined, certain demographic groups continue to condone it under specific circumstances. These findings are based on a study conducted by analysts at Finprom.kz.
Sharp Decline in Justifying Abuse
Multi-indicator surveys conducted by the National Statistics Bureau in 2015 and 2024 show a significant decrease in the number of women who view domestic violence as acceptable. Approximately 14,400 women aged 15 to 49 participated in the survey. In 2015, 15.1% of respondents said a man has the right to hit his wife or partner. By 2024, this figure had dropped to just 4%.
Respondents who deemed such violence acceptable were asked to specify the justification. The most commonly cited reason was neglect of children (2.8%), followed by refusal to do housework (1.6%), disobedience to the husband (1%), and leaving the house without permission (0.8%). Smaller shares justified violence due to refusal of intimacy (0.3%) or “burning food” (0.2%).
Analysts interpret the declining acceptance of these views as a sign of changing social norms and an evolving understanding of women’s roles within the family.
Who Is More Likely to Justify Violence?
The study revealed a notable divide between urban and rural populations. In rural areas, 6.8% of women still justify domestic violence, down from 20.6% a decade ago. In urban areas, only 2.6% expressed similar views.
Regional disparities were also evident. In the Turkestan region, 10% of respondents believed a husband has the right to beat his wife. High levels of acceptance were also recorded in the Zhetysu region (9.5%) and Kostanay (8.8%). In contrast, the Mangistau region (0.2%), Aktobe (0.4%), and Atyrau (0.5%) reported the lowest figures.
Age was another key factor. Older women were more likely to justify domestic violence: 4.7% of women aged 45-49 and 3.1% of those aged 40-44 approved of it under certain conditions. Younger women, particularly newlyweds, overwhelmingly rejected violence under any circumstances.
Legal Reforms and Shifting Statistics
Finprom.kz analysts compared these survey results with changes in criminal justice data. According to the Committee on Legal Statistics, reported criminal offenses related to domestic violence have increased 7.2 fold over the past decade. However, this spike is attributed to legal reforms. Until mid-2024, charges such as “Assault” and “Causing minor harm to health” were considered administrative violations. Following criminalization, reported cases rose sharply.
From January to October 2025, 3,000 criminal offenses related to family or domestic violence were recorded, up 21.4% year-on-year. Assaults accounted for more than half of the cases (1,700, up 36.8% from June to October 2024), followed by “intentional infliction of minor bodily harm” (680 cases).
Meanwhile, serious crimes showed a decline. Murders fell by 30.1%, rapes by 16.7%, and cases of “intentional infliction of serious harm to health” by 10.5%.
Regional commissions on women’s affairs have also reported encouraging trends. The number of calls to crisis centers dropped from 30,500 in 2013 to 12,900 in 2024. Of these, 7,400 were related directly to violence. The number of women who received assistance declined to 11,400, a 12.2% decrease. Consultations with psychologists and crisis center specialists remain the most requested services, while legal support continues to be used less frequently.
