Bübyusara Ryskulova, honorary president of the Sezim Crisis Centre in Kyrgyzstan, has spent more than three decades supporting women and children who have survived violence, becoming one of the country’s leading advocates for domestic violence survivors. Speaking to UN News during the Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters in New York, she reflected on Kyrgyzstan’s progress in strengthening protections against domestic and family violence, while also emphasizing that major challenges remain. As the only civil society representative in Kyrgyzstan’s delegation, she said the global gathering offered a valuable opportunity to compare national efforts with those of other countries and better understand both achievements and gaps.
Ryskulova explained that her path into this work began unexpectedly after a 1998 exchange programme in the United States, where she visited seven states to learn how domestic violence support systems functioned. The experience was transformative, as it exposed her to organized crisis response mechanisms at a time when such issues were barely discussed openly in Kyrgyzstan. Returning home, she recognized the depth of the problem and the urgent need to build structures that could protect survivors and raise awareness in a society where domestic violence remained largely hidden.
That same year, Sezim was founded as one of the first crisis centres in the region, at a time when offering direct support to survivors of violence was still a new concept in the country. Ryskulova recalled the early days as especially difficult, including the launch of the centre’s first hotline, when staff waited anxiously for calls that did not come for some time. When the first call finally arrived, she took it despite having almost no experience, marking the beginning of a long and difficult effort to build trust and create services for those facing abuse.
Although Kyrgyzstan has made important progress since then, Ryskulova noted that speaking openly about domestic violence can still be difficult, especially in some communities where social and religious conservatism has grown since the early 1990s. She said that increased religiosity has sometimes contributed to resistance around discussions of violence and women’s rights, and in certain areas there has been what she described as a rollback. These social pressures continue to shape how violence is perceived and addressed, making advocacy and survivor support more challenging.
Despite these obstacles, Ryskulova said progress is undeniable. Kyrgyzstan has developed a stronger professional and institutional landscape over the years, including the growth of psychology training in universities, which was nearly absent in the early post-Soviet period. After a major civil society campaign and petition drive, Kyrgyzstan became one of the first post-Soviet countries to adopt a law on family violence in 2003, with further legislative updates introduced in 2017. Ryskulova said that, at the legislative level, the country has made significant advances, though she stressed that implementation remains the real test.
Because of this gap between law and practice, Sezim now focuses heavily on direct support and casework. The organisation operates a shelter, provides specialist services, and has worked for more than 30 years to protect individual survivors. Ryskulova herself obtained a second degree as a practical psychologist and often represents survivors in court, using provisions in the law that allow non-lawyers to act on behalf of victims through power of attorney. She said the centre has handled around 40 court cases in recent years, with nearly 90 percent resulting in decisions in favor of survivors, including in extremely serious cases involving rape and murder. These cases, she explained, can help move the system forward while also raising public awareness, though the centre fully protects anonymity when survivors do not want publicity.
Ryskulova also highlighted the role of international cooperation in the development of crisis centres in Kyrgyzstan, especially early support from the International Organization for Migration. Through that partnership, she first encountered the issue of sexual slavery, which led Sezim to open a dedicated hotline for trafficking-related cases. She recalled one of the first girls they helped, an underage and pregnant survivor who had returned in deep distress and expressed suicidal thoughts. Staff had to take turns watching over her in hospital to ensure her safety, underscoring the intensity and emotional demands of this work.
Today, Sezim continues to collaborate with UN agencies including UNHCR and UN Women, partnerships that Ryskulova says are essential for sharing expertise, training specialists, and implementing joint projects. While she values international platforms such as the Commission on the Status of Women for exposing practitioners to global lessons and innovations, she remains clear that supporting survivors ultimately depends on constant, day-to-day effort. For her, seminars, training, and prevention all matter, but they are not enough if even one person who has suffered violence is left without protection.
