Citation

Childress S, Shrestha N, Kenensarieva K, Urbaeva J, Schrag RV. Violence Against Women 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10778012231186814

PMID

37487221

Abstract

The study explores the perspectives of service providers on cultural and social reasons used to justify domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan.

RESULTS indicate that cultural norms, notably patriarchal customs, immense pressure put on women to save the marriage, stigma of divorce, low status assigned to women, wide acceptance of violence as natural, and fear of retaliation were major reasons that perpetuated domestic violence. Scholars, policymakers, and service providers must collaborate to actively dispel widely accepted beliefs about gender, marriage, and women's status, and to break the cycle of abuse providing help at the individual and community levels.

Language: en

Keywords

domestic violence; Central Asia; Kyrgyzstan; cultural justification of violence; service providers’ perspectives