Intimate Partner Violence and the Culture of Shame in Kazakhstan: Voices of Survivors and Violence Against Women Professionals

Saltanat Akhmetova; Naureen Durrani; Akmaral Karabay

doi:10.1177/10778012251384563

Intimate Partner Violence and the Culture of Shame in Kazakhstan: Voices of Survivors and Violence Against Women Professionals

Nazarbayev University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This research uses in-depth interviews with 12 professionals and 12 survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) to shed light on the manifestations of IPV in Kazakhstan, where IPV is under-researched. Centered on the culturally specific concept of shame (uyat), the findings illuminate three themes: the prevalent forms of IPV; the impact of uyat on survivors’ attitudes and responses to IPV; and survivors’ interactions with law enforcement and professionals. The findings emphasize the urgency of confronting uyat and patriarchal norms, strengthening and enforcing laws against IPV, reinforcing support for survivors, and empowering women to advance Sustainable Development Goal 5.2.

Original language	English
Article number	10778012251384563
Journal	Violence Against Women
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012251384563
Publication status	Published - 2025

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Nazarbayev University (grant number no. 021220CRP1122) awarded to Naureen Durrani.

Funders	Funder number
Nazarbayev University	021220CRP1122

Keywords

Kazakhstan
intimate partner violence
professionals
shame
survivors
violence against women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Gender Studies
Sociology and Political Science
Law

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10.1177/10778012251384563

Cite this

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AU - Karabay, Akmaral

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025

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AB - This research uses in-depth interviews with 12 professionals and 12 survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) to shed light on the manifestations of IPV in Kazakhstan, where IPV is under-researched. Centered on the culturally specific concept of shame (uyat), the findings illuminate three themes: the prevalent forms of IPV; the impact of uyat on survivors’ attitudes and responses to IPV; and survivors’ interactions with law enforcement and professionals. The findings emphasize the urgency of confronting uyat and patriarchal norms, strengthening and enforcing laws against IPV, reinforcing support for survivors, and empowering women to advance Sustainable Development Goal 5.2.

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Intimate Partner Violence and the Culture of Shame in Kazakhstan: Voices of Survivors and Violence Against Women Professionals

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