Shining a Light on Gender-Based Violence in Kyrgyzstan

Respond translators win journalism award for their work exposing femicide in Kyrgyzstan

With help from Respond Crisis Translation’s Russian team, a report on femicide in Kyrgyzstan by Kyrgyz investigative media outlet Kloop has been shortlisted for the 2021 Sigma Awards, an international competition recognizing the world’s best data journalism.

The report represents the first comprehensive analysis of femicide, or the murder of women, in the Kyrgyz Republic — and reveals that the problem is endemic. Its authors credit themselves with introducing the term “femicide” as a concept distinct from domestic violence both in Kyrgyzstan and in Central Asia more broadly.

Hallie Sala and Sameera Ibrahim, both regular translators for Respond, translated the piece to English from Russian. Kloop has distributed the report among UNWomen Kyrgyzstan, the Soros Foundation, and other nonprofit organizations.

Founded in 2008 by Bektour Iskender and Rinat Tuhvatshin, Kloop provides young reporters in Kyrgyzstan with training and a platform to publish their investigations. With Kyrgyz journalists currently facing violence, harassment, and low wages, Respond is proud to support Kloop’s important work, and we hope their report will encourage policymakers to address the urgent problem of femicide in Kyrgyzstan.

You can read the report here.

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