A Study of the Activities of Aksakals’ Courts

The International Public Foundation "Roza Otunbayeva Initiative" has conducted a study on the activity of Aksakal Courts in the Kyrgyz Republic. The study was conducted from July to November 2022 in 11 communities across the country, covering 7 regions and the cities of republican significance, Bishkek and Osh. The study examined 14 Acs in 7 regions of the KR. The study gathered data f rom 369 respondents, including 203 men (55%) and 166 women (45%). Despite efforts to emphasize the equal participation of women in the activities of ACs, there remain uncertainties surrounding their status, legal gaps and conflicts, a lack of reliable information on the number of active courts, and disagreements about their competence and role in adjudicating gender-related cases. These issues, coupled with the low representation of women in the courts, warrant further research. The report attempts to describe the portrait of the ACs, the regularities of their activities, relevance, effectiveness, sustainability of the institution, cooperation with other public bodies and institutions, as well as gender sensitivity today. Its results will be used to strengthen the institution of ACs in the KR and develop recommendations for future measures to improve their activities in the field of gender-sensitive justice. The study was conducted as part of the Ukuk Bulagy project, implemented by the East-West Management Institute (EWMI), a nonprofit organization supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The USAID Ukuk bulagy project aims to increase citizens’ access to justice by enhancing the transparency of judicial bodies’ activities, promoting gender-sensitive and people-oriented justice, and reducing corruption. Gender-sensitive and peopleoriented justice is a new approach in public governance based on factual data that helps to understand and respond to systemic legal problems and citizens’ needs.