Footage Foundation and El Argatuu hold Human Rights Day event on Collaboration and Participation in Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women.
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN, December 05, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On December 10th, 2025—Human Rights Day and the final day of the global 16 Days of Activism for the Elimination of Violence Against Women campaign— international non-profit organization, Footage and Kyrgyz NGO, El Agartuu, will hold a Stakeholder Summit on Collaboration & Participation in Preventing and Responding to violence against women (VAW). The 90-minute online event will bring together participants from civil society and government ministries engaged in the VAW response system in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Since November 2024 the two organizations have been collaborating on a needs assessment to support Kyrgyzstan's National Action Plan II on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), as well as policies focused on improving collaboration between government and civil society to prevent conflicts and protect women's rights.
The work by the two NGOs supports ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration, co-ordination, participation and communication across a national violence against women (VAW) response system in Kyrgyzstan.
The Needs Assessment has gathered evidence from 108 participants from all 7 regions (oblasts) of the Kyrgyz Republic. Participants included 73 government/service providers, 18 NGO representatives and 17 survivors. Echoing regional and even some wider trends, most participants in the research reported low trust in police and government institutions, citing inaction and victim-blaming, while survivors expressed greater confidence in community-based networks and NGOs than in formal state systems.
"We work with women to overcome personal barriers and help create personal success stories, but creative expression and future possibilities are often limited by the expectation to conform to traditional roles of motherhood," reported one civil society organization leader.
Mental abuse emerged as the most prevalent form of VAW, followed by physical abuse and financial control—usually occurring within families. The study found violence against women in Kyrgyzstan is frequently normalized, shaped by early marriage, traditional gender roles & social expectations.
"In our society the tradition is that a woman is always in second place, sometimes even third; domestic violence is the most common (form of violence) and rarely discussed openly," said a survivor/activist participant.
73% of survivors report poor mental health and a need for psychosocial support.
44% avoid seeking help due to stigma or mistrust.
70% of government staff have never received formal VAW training.
Priority needs identified include safe shelter, legal support, and access to transparent information.
The Stakeholder Summit on December 10th follows an online advocacy workshop on December 3rd that examined steps to address VAW with a focus on men's engagement in solutions. The workshop shared Footage's participatory, skills-based methodology and examined collaboration and coordination across institutions focusing on participation and meaningful engagement of different stakeholders. It also looked at areas for improved communication, alignment, and trust.
"This needs assessment is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest, most inclusive cross-sector VAW study in Kyrgyzstan in a decade. Our participatory approach brings together survivors, government, NGOs, and multilaterals, supporting some of Kyrgyzstan's national strategies and the achievement of several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals with actionable research for policy and reform.
"Insights from this Summit will contribute to our White Paper on VAW prevention and response. It will synthesize learning from the full project and will be shared with participants, partners, and the wider VAW community nationally and internationally as a policy-making resource," says applied social scientist Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton, Executive Director of Footage Foundation who leads the initiative.
Dr. Eglinton will co-facilitate the Stakeholder Summit alongside Ms. Nurjan Tulegabylova, Executive Director of El Agartuu.
Date: 10 December
Time: 10:00am (Bishkek)
Format: Online – Zoom—Registration required. Please email info@footageproject.org to take part
Languages: Kyrgyz / Russian / English (simultaneous interpretation)
The dialogue is designed as a safe, inclusive, and respectful space. No personal experiences will be requested; discussion will center on roles, systems, strengths, and opportunities.
About Footage Foundation: Footage is an international non-profit organization raising voices to elevate lives through creative research, wellbeing interventions, and advocacy—all advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Footage uses Participatory Interventional Ethnography to place participants from vulnerable communities at the center of knowledge-making and advocacy.
To learn more about Footage's initiatives and programs, or to explore working with us to help to uplift these voices—by covering our work, spotlighting participant stories, or joining us in shaping more compassionate narratives about crisis and displacement and addressing violence through participatory methods, please email: info@footageproject.org
Disclaimer: All views expressed in this press release are those of the authors and do not reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, the U.S. Department of State, or any affiliated government institutions.
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