Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Neo-traditionalism: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

AbstractIn 2021, Kyrgyzstan held a referendum, adopting its new Constitution. From the very beginning, the document itself obliquely announces that the state is taking a course towards a “neo-traditionalist” approach, a policy that risks exalting traditions, customs and spirituality above the Law. Some ancestral traditional practices are known to have a negative connotation and remain an obstacle to the rights of Kyrgyz women and girls. Thereby, this chapter focuses on analysis of the new constitutional framework of Kyrgyzstan from a gender perspective, highlighting the threats of the “neo-traditionalist” approach to women’s rights. The first part gives the reader a general introduction to the current situation with gender equality in Kyrgyzstan and its legal regulation, followed by highlighting the role of the OSCE in supporting and developing gender-sensitive legal foundations in the country. The final part analyses the “neo-traditionalist” orientations in the new constitutional framework of Kyrgyzstan and their possible impact on the position and rights of Kyrgyz women and girls.