Ukuk Bulagy Initiative in Kyrgyzstan
The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Activity, also known as “Ukuk Bulagy” or “UB” implemented by the non-profit organization EWMI with financial support from USAID, aims to support the Kyrgyz justice system, civil society, and citizenry through various justice-related reforms.
Ukak Bulagy seeks to strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption by adopting a people-centred justice approach that addresses the legal needs of individuals. Prioritizing gender equality, women’s empowerment, and adaptive learning, the project focuses on reducing gender and other barriers that hinder access to justice for vulnerable population groups. It also aims to enhance the role of women in the field of justice, which contributes to the reduction of gender-based violence and the promotion of gender equality principles.
As part of the project implemented by the Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges, “Expanding the Rights and Opportunities of Women and National Minorities in Access to Justice”, training events were conducted to increase the gender sensitivity of judges using the GALS methodology. This experience highlighted the need for a universal training manual for legal service providers, focusing on gender stereotypes, their impact on professional activities, methods of overcoming biases, enhancing competency in handling cases related to gender and family violence, changing attitudes towards the problems, and improving the quality of services provided, ensuring effective support for victims of violence.
ERVIN: Empowerment Against Violence Resources for Legal Professionals
The Ukuk Bulagy initiative strives to foster a deep understanding of GBV issues, encourage empathetic approaches among legal professionals, and equip them with practical tools for addressing and mitigating GBV in their professional roles.
USAID’s Ukuk Bulagi brought together a team comprised of:
- Dr Linda Mayoux the originator of GALS-based Empowerment Against Violence (EAV) methodology
- Kyrgyzstan gender and legal experts Musabekova Ch.A., N.V, Nikitenko, Kachikeeva B.J
- Regional GALS expert Kuttubaeva A.D.
They adapted and piloted the global GAMEChange EAV methodology as a distinctive ERVIN methodology for training of legal professionals in Kyrgyzstan to:
- address both personal behaviour and broader legal issues
- enhance the gender sensitivity and legal acumen of practitioners, including judges, prosecutors, and lawyers.
- provide comprehensive GBV education
- promote behaviour change among participants
- distribute and use Ukak Bulagy resources within various legal training institutions,
Ukuk Bulagy seeks to ultimately distribute the developed manual to training institutions for a sustainable GBV-focused initiative, enhancing the overall capacity to address GBV effectively in Kyrgyzstan.
Why ERVIN? Gender-based violence and justice system in Kyrgyzstan
increased Gender-based violence in Kyrgyzstan
Gender-based violence at all levels of society is a global ‘hidden pandemic’ affecting women and men in all countries of the world. Domestic Violence affects all levels of society, including legal and law enforcement agencies.
In Kyrgyzstan there has been a significant increase in domestic violence cases registered:
- 2023 registered cases of domestic violence 13104 i.e. 32.6% increase from 2022
- Of 11,357 temporary protection orders issues for domestic violence 97.1 per cent were issued against men (+2632 from 2022)
- O these cases 10,884 (8225) women victims, 275 (290) men, 198 (210) minors: 80 (88) boys 118 (122) girls.
But prosecutions are rare. Of 591 registered criminal cases under the Criminal Code in 2023:
- 391 were sent to court
- 147 pre-trial proceedings were terminated
- 53 were in progress.
underlying causes of GBV and reluctance to approach support in Kysrgyzstan
Underlying GBV in many countries are practical barriers that women face to accessing justice:
- Limited financial resources
- Limited social support
- Childcare responsibilities
- Nowhere to go
- Fear of retaliation
- Lack of trust in law enforcement.
Research with Focus Groups in Kyrgyzstan by Jigerduu Jarandar in 2023 for USAID found that underlying the failure to bring perpetrators to court are prevailing social norms around gender inequalities in rights and responsibilities in the family:
- Wives are expected to defer to the authority of the marital family
- Wives are expected to do all of the household work and prioritize this work
- It is not acceptable for wives to go places without their husband’s consent.
- It is not socially acceptable for those outside of the family unit to discuss or get involved in family issues.
- Husbands are expected to maintain the family reputation
- It is socially acceptable for men to use physical force to discipline their wives.
- While legally divorce exists as an option for women, it remains socially highly unacceptable
ERVIN methodology for legal professionals
ERVIN responds to the needs of actors mandated by law to protect and defend against family violence (hereafter referred to as mandated actors). The tools and facilitation are designed to build the gender capacity of legal professionals and to be used by them for personal and professional reflection and action planning to improve their professional performance.
The ERVIN methodology adapts the global generic GAMEChange Empowerment Against Violence (EAV) methodology to work with women and men of all ages, within families, communities and institutions to examine and address different forms of gender-based violence.
The ERVIN tools and facilitation process focus on:
- articulating participants’ dreams of a happy family, gender justice and a society where everyone has equal rights;
- identifying negative gender stereotypes and prejudices, analysing their impact on personal and professional activities, and developing methods to overcome them,
- increasing the competence of authorised actors in the management of cases related to gender and family violence, which will ultimately have a positive impact on changing attitudes and improving the quality of services provided, ensuring effective support for victims of violence and the effective implementation of the powers defined by law.
The group of participants should preferably not exceed a maximum of 20-25 participants. All sessions will be conducted in an interactive manner, inviting participants to actively engage in deep and critical thinking, analysing and reflecting, to participate in asking questions and engaging in discussions based on their practical work.
This course outline is for a full 3-day training course and a shortened 2-day course.
Active learning methods used to stimulate critical thinking include:
- Drawing and visualisation. Drawing is used here only for the purpose of communication and not for the purpose of getting beautiful pictures. Consequently, it is enough to quickly communicate one’s thoughts through images and symbols and not to waste time drawing too small details and getting beautiful pictures. Also, drawing is used to “free” participants to daydream and immerse them in positive thinking rather than negative thoughts about violence. In addition, drawings will allow one to express their dreams expressively and concisely without long words. In the process of drawing, a person concentrates better. Relaxation helps to get rid of negative emotions. Drawing stimulates both hemispheres of the brain and thus develops lateral thinking, which helps to find ways to solve problems more effectively. These drawings become the basis for further critical thinking, rethinking the situation, developing empathy, discussing ways to make decisions that are fair for women and men;
- Completion of IRVIN charts;
- Group applause;
- Individual and group presentations;
- Interactive lectures (Power Point, video presentations);
- Discussion;
- Brainstorming;
- Debate and negotiation;
- Role-playing;
- Questions and answers (spontaneous as well as prepared in writing before or after the session).
- Small group work
| SESSION | SESSION NAME | Time hours full and short course |
| Session 1 | Encounter: Working in Pairs | Full 1 h Short 0.5 h |
| Session 1 Objective | To create a conducive atmosphere for introductions and interaction between participants, to strengthen active listening and peer-to-peer dialogue skills, and to identify key expectations of the workshop | |
| Session 2 | Dream of a happy family and a society free of violence (ERVIN 1) | Full 4 h short 3 h |
| Session 2 Objective | Begin to clarify and articulate a personal vision of a happy family and a society free from violence (from the perspective of functional responsibilities) in order to help participants see the relationship between personal and professional interests. Thus start to make the transition to professional activities in the following tools; provide information on the evolution of the status of women in Kyrgyz society; form an idea of the state of the gender agenda and priorities of public policy in Kyrgyzstan | |
| Session 3 | The diamond of freedom from violence (ERVIN 2) | Full 6 h Short 4 h |
| Session 3 Objective | To help participants to conduct a gender analysis of the types of happy families and the types and forms of violence found in society and to identify gender stereotypes of violence in society and in professional life; to introduce basic concepts of forms and types of violence. | |
| Session 4 | Tree of Action to End Violence (ERVIN 3) | Full 5 h Short 3.5 h |
| Session 4 Objective | Identify further commitments to action to address the challenges to achieving happiness free from gender-based violence | |
| Session 5 | Support and Empowerment Network Map (ERVIN 4) | Full 4 h Short 2 h |
| Session 5 Objective | Conduct a stakeholder analysis of family violence eradication and develop a strategy to build a support team around the four stages of the family violence protection and safeguarding system; analyse the relationships between the parties and identify the most effective approaches, taking into account threat and opportunity analysis, to achieve the dream and provide survivor-centred services | |
| Session 6 | Journey to a dream (ERVIN 5) | Full 4 h Short 2 h |
| Session 6 Objective | Develop a professional action plan based on the lessons learnt from previous sessions, aimed at eliminating violence in society from the perspective of participants’ functional responsibilities and a gender-sensitive approach. |
!! Published Training manuals to be inserted here when available.
GAMEChange Resources:
relevant links
It is also recommended that anyone facilitating an ERVIN process should also familiarise themselves with the generic GAMEChange approach, tools and facilitation techniques that has been used elsewhere. These are particularly useful when innovating to adapt ERVIN to other contexts and participant groups other than legal professionals.
what is distinctive about the gamechange EAV approach
GBV negatively affects perpetrators as well as victim/survivors
Women are intelligent agents of development: Women are not seen as ‘victims of subordination in need of consciousness-raising’ but as intelligent actors who already have aspirations and strategies but need collective and organisational support to better realise these.
Men are allies in change: Men are not seen as stereotypical monsters and problems, but as potential partners in a process of change and pursuit of justice who also need support in order to go against established attitudes and patterns of behaviour to work for a better world.
Start with the individual: The process first catalyses individual changes, giving people the skills to reflect on their personal situation as the basis then for collective reflection at group and/or community levels.
Respect difference: Clarify differences, and acknowledge the importance of freedom of choice for everyone and the need to acknowledge and adapt to different interests. But do not avoid analysis or power relations in determining choices, and the need to address inequalities and the responsibility of those with power to avoid conflict.
Focus on action: Every learning ‘event’ focuses on tangible actions for change which can be taken by individuals immediately, before waiting for other actions identified at group and institutional levels.
Peer learning network: Every learning event contributes to building capacities and systems for ongoing peer action learning as the basis for a sustainable process of change.
Gender justice is non-negotiable: Gender justice and rights-based principles are non-negotiable and underlie the way in which process is facilitated, and the types of actions which are supported by development agencies. Although the main focus is on promoting constructive communication between women and men, the ultimate aim is removal of all forms of gender discrimination and empowerment of women and men to realise their full human potential. In some cases this requires strategic negotiation of conflicts of interest in favour of women’s rights.