“Panorama Shymkenta”, 24/12/2008
L. Sokolova

   According to the Public Security Bureau of the South Kazakhstan Department of Interior Affairs, since the beginning of 2008 6,500 crimes have been committed against women. This means that every month there has been about 600 have suffered from domestic violence.
   Life is unpredictable. No one knows what will happen tomorrow: happiness, holidays, fun, family conflicts, problems at work. Often we do not know who can help us solve our problems, where to go, and what to do. For example, whether to appeal to law enforcement authorities, a lawyer, or to seek other solutions. Crises further exacerbate the inability to appeal to lawyers or consultants.
   This is the situations Aysulu found herself in. At 23 she was married and it seemed that she had a happy life. Aysulu moved with his parents from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan, to become his wife. The happiness was short. After the birth of a daughter they were forced to sell the apartment which was bought by her parents for them to live in. Her husband then invested the money, which was later wasted. As a result, Aysulu was left without shelter, employment, livelihood, and without the support of a spouse, who had since left. This was not her only problem: her parents had died and it was they who had always supported her in difficult moments.
   At first this young women was helped by friends and distant relatives with food, clothing for her and her child, and temporary shelter. It seemed that life had continued, and then came Marat, which she thought could give her protection, peace, and confidence for the future. Aysulu so wanted to be happy and loved!
   With this new life they moved outside the city. Aysulu went to work in the city, and the daughter went to school. Over time, Marat lost his job and began to drink. He blamed his failures on Aysulu. They began to have frequent quarrels and then Marat beat her. These beating happened more and more, even though Aysulu was about to have her second child. During one of their quarrels Marat beat her and then burned her documents, to try to keep Aysulu under his control. Time passed. Their son was born, but they never stopped fighting and the beatings began to get worse. Her long awaited happiness had never come. One day Marat severely beat Aysulu and threw her and the children out of the house, saying, “Go away! It will be easier for me to live! I don’t need these children!”
   She was left with her despair and a hungry three-month son and a daughter. She wondered where to go for help, where and how to restore the destroyed documents, and where to stay for the night. These painful questions were constantly in her head. Aysulu tried to recover her documents but to no avail, and then some kind people prompted her to get free assistance at the Legal Center for Women’s Initiatives “Sana Sezim”.
   The center provide legal assistance with pubic and law enforcement agencies in family matters and labor disputes. The personnel often serve as public defenders, protecting citizens’ rights and interests, helping fill out legal documents and complaints, preparing statements, and assisting in the writing of claims, various requests, and petitions.
   The safety and well-being of people depends on how effectively they are assisted. Get help at “Sana Sezim”, where they are clear about what needs to be done to restore documents. Now Aysulu has a roof over her head and has started working.
   If you need help the center can assist any citizen or migrant worker in the case of violations of their rights. Call: 50-07-85 or 56-47-54. You can avoid problems and misfortunes from receiving legal aid!