A women’s discussion political club is going to submit for
consideration in parliament the question of legalization of commercial
sex.

“We’ve met with the leaders of the parliament factions. The
leader of the Social-democratic party of Kyrgyzstan Bakyt Beshimov
told us about his willingness to examine this question”, told Kalicha
Umuralieva, the leader of the women’s club.

Galina Kulikova, a deputy and a representive of the Ak-Zhol party also
said that this field should be legalized.

She said that the legalization presumes the appearance of houses of
prostitution and a trade union of the workers of commercial sex.
There should be a system for frequent examination of their health and
also a toughening of punishment for the men who are using this
service.

“I haven’t familiarized with this problem before. But if there were
specific suggestions about solving the problem of prostitiution, we
would definitely examine this question [in the parliament]. I would
like to add we can’t eliminate this phenomenon completely, but we can
decrease the level and take some legal initiatives. “, Kulikova told.

Alexander Zelichenko, the chief of the Center of the reform of
security services said that the society of Kyrgyzstan should be
prepared to have a tolerant attitude towards workers of commercial sex
before solving the problem at the legislative level.

“We shouldn’t make decision about legalization of prostitution in a
hurry. Legalization of prostitution is double-edged sword. On the one
hand, women would be protected by the law, but on the other hand,
after legalization prostitution would be considered as good. Such
attitude would influence negatively to the institution of family. We
should check not the results, but the reasons of that phenomenon in
the society”, chief of the Crisis Center for Women and Family Bubusara
Ryskulova considered.

“There is rather hard legalislation about the commercial sex in
Kyrgyzstan now. According the Criminal code, involving to the
commercial sex of the under age and adults, organization and keeping
the dens are punished by fine or custody up to 5 years”, Kalicha
Umuralieva told.

The Women’s discussion political club also cited the following
statistical characterictics of prostitution in Bishkek in 2006.

According their data, women involved in prostitutuion are often young
woman 19-21 age (25%), or 22-24 age (24%).

The social potrait of the average statistical woman involved in
prostitution is a woman aged 19-30 (about 50%), newcomer from the
countryside (about 45%) with secondary education (40%) or incomplete
secondary education (30%), working as a prostitute for 1-3 years
(about 40%) and a native kyrgyz language speaker (50%)

Also, it’s pointed out that such women often become the victims of
cruelty. According to the statistics, 4 women prostitutes were killed
in 2006.

The Women’s discussion political group was founded in the October 2006
under the support of the National Democratic Institute and OSCE Centre
in Bishkek. Women from the different parties and NGO’s were invited
to the club. The main aim of the club is the advancement of women to
the level of the decision-making in society and politics, through the
organization of the discussions.