Murders of women committed by their spouses raise the question of how effectively Kazakhstan’s system for preventing domestic violence is working. Legislation is being tightened, the police issue thousands of protection orders, yet tragedies continue.

Deputies are proposing new ways to intervene at an early stage — when threats and stalking can still be stopped.One such initiative was put forward by Kurultai deputy from the OSDP faction, Larisa Li. In a parliamentary inquiry addressed to Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population Askarbek Yertayev and Minister of Culture and Information Arman Kyrykbayev, she proposed launching the public project “PANA” — a network of safe points where women and children could turn for help directly at the moment of danger.

For this purpose, it is suggested to use already operating shops, pharmacies, offices of homeowners’ associations and condominium management companies. At the entrance, the authors of the inquiry propose placing a special sign indicating that the premises are ready to receive a victim. Staff of such organisations would be tasked with providing primary assistance according to the “Three Steps” protocol: take the person to a service room, exclude access by the aggressor, provide the necessary help and call the relevant services.

The authors of the inquiry believe that in a dangerous situation the opportunity to take shelter nearby can prove decisive.“In the moment of violence or stalking, the victim has only the first few minutes to escape. In a state of shock, without a phone or money, a person will not run to a distant police station to fill out protocols. If there is nowhere to take shelter immediately, the victim remains trapped,” Larisa Li emphasised.According to the initiators’ concept, the network of safe points would make it possible to use existing infrastructure without constructing new facilities or incurring additional maintenance costs. The deputy cited the workload of neighbourhood police officers. According to her data, in Astana one officer is responsible for up to three thousand residents, while in rural areas an officer’s beat may cover several settlements located 20–30 kilometres apart.It is also proposed to grant employees of the participating organisations the status of public assistants to the internal affairs bodies.

Under the proposed model, their work would take place at stationary posts equipped with video surveillance and be recorded in a digital system.An important part of the project, according to Larisa Li, is integration with the FSM Social platform, which unites the prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the “Zhanuya” Family Support Centres and crisis centres. Transmission of the primary signal through this system is expected to enable specialised services to receive information about a possible threat promptly and coordinate their actions.The deputy proposed providing public assistants with a separate IP address and a one-way technical contour.

This means that staff of the safe points would be able to send signals but would not gain access to state databases. Information within the system would be processed by authorised bodies.According to information provided in the inquiry, Astana, Kokshetau and Temirtau are ready for a pilot launch of the project. The initiators demand that “PANA” be connected to FSM Social and that the necessary technical conditions be provided. At the same time, these proposals are not yet an approved state mechanism and require consideration by the relevant agencies.Another initiative was earlier put forward by deputy Aizhan Aimaganova. In an inquiry dated 21 October 2026, she called for the creation of an “Electronic Protection Zone” that would help track how a report of a threat was responded to, what measures were taken and how timely the services intervened.

“In just the past few months there have been several high-profile incidents that shocked society. On 13 July in Abai Region, 20-year-old Dilnaz Zhumagulova died from multiple stab wounds. On 23 September in Astana, her former husband killed Zhazira Aduova, a mother of two children,” Aizhan Aimaganova recalled.While new mechanisms for preventing violence are being discussed, yet another crime has once again reminded us of the price of delayed response. On 3 November, a 26-year-old woman was killed at a Wedding Palace. According to preliminary police data, her former cohabitant is suspected of the crime. It is assumed that the conflict arose over the issue of renunciation of parental rights. The deceased left behind four children. Two of them, shared with the suspect, have been temporarily placed in the “Umit” children’s home. The regional department for the protection of children’s rights reported that the further situation remains under the control of the competent authorities.Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has significantly changed its legislation in this area in recent years. After the high-profile murder of Saltanat Nukenova, criminal liability for battery and intentional infliction of minor harm to health was restored to the Criminal Code.

The law signed by the President on 15 April 2024 also strengthened the protection of women and children, limited the possibility of reconciliation of the parties in cases of physical violence and expanded the tools for influencing aggressors.But how effectively do these measures work in practice? Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for January–September 2026 give an idea of the scale of the problem. Over the nine months of 2026, more than 90 thousand people were held administratively liable for domestic offences. This is 18.4 per cent more than a year earlier. 25 thousand offenders were arrested. The police issued over 73 thousand protection orders, and another 20.5 thousand people were punished for violating them and for non-compliance with court bans. In crisis centres, 4.5 thousand women with children received temporary shelter and assistance.At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs notes a 10.4 per cent decrease in the number of criminal offences in the domestic sphere and an 11 per cent decrease in murders.Yet even positive dynamics should not obscure the essence of the problem. Behind the statistics stand women suffering from domestic violence, children living in fear, and family conflicts that sometimes end in murders that might have been prevented with timely prevention.

Linara SAKTAGANOVA