Domestic violence in Kazakhstan: Forensic-medical and medical-social aspects

Background

The consequences of domestic violence can be very serious for both individuals and society as a whole. Domestic violence, being one of the widespread instruments of dependence, requires study by forensic-investigative, forensic-medical and public organizations. The prospectivity of studying the forensic-medical aspects of this problem by analyzing the conditions, patterns of distribution of various forms of violence subsequently develops into a more objective approach to solving questions about the mechanisms and features of the formation of injuries, depending on the indicated situations.

Aim

to assess the national prevalence of domestic violence against women in Kazakhstan, to identify demographic, socio-economic and medical-social predictors that determine the prevalence of violence against women in modern conditions.

Methods

A qualitative-quantitative study was conducted in 14 regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the period from 2019 to 2022. The analysis was carried out based on the results of forensic medical reports and the results of a survey of 14,342 women who applied to the regional branches of the Center for Forensic Examinations of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study used an adapted version of the questionnaire of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe about violence against women based on the methodology of the WHO Cross-Country Study on women's health and domestic violence against women. Applied statistical analysis methods were used to analyze the obtained results.

Results

There has been an increase in cases of domestic violence over the past two years, especially in 2022. The main victims of domestic violence in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan are women (more than 77.9%), children - 17.52%, elderly people - 3.5% and men - less than 1.1%. The number of cases of domestic violence against women in different regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan differs significantly (p < 0.05) and is more apparent in large cities. The most vulnerable category are women aged 40 to 49 (41.46%) and 30 to 39 (37.80%). Women in the Republic of Kazakhstan