Kyrgyzstan:
«Dragged Through the Mire»
«Dragged Through the Mire»
Victoria is 24. She works as sales consultant in a shop in Bishkek. Today, she stayed late at work again. She does not own a car, so she has to get home in a taxi.
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«It is safer than waiting for a public transport late at night, it has chaotic schedule,» she admits.
On one of such days, she, as usual, called the taxi service and ordered a taxi.
«The taxi driver was mature man, and from the very beginning of the ride it was clear that he really wanted to talk. I always prefer to keep silence during taxi ride. He began asking how old I was, why I looked so young. He began saying absurd things about what he would do if he were younger. Then, he started making inappropriate compliments, then switched to criticism and started talking about my appearance. As a result, I silently waited till the end of the ride, got out of the car and I had the feeling that I was dragged through the mire,» says Victoria.
According to her, this is not the only case when taxi drivers violated her personal boundaries.
«I do not remember clearly what and how they said, but emotionally, I felt very uncomfortable,» recalls Victoria.
On one of such days, she, as usual, called the taxi service and ordered a taxi.
«The taxi driver was mature man, and from the very beginning of the ride it was clear that he really wanted to talk. I always prefer to keep silence during taxi ride. He began asking how old I was, why I looked so young. He began saying absurd things about what he would do if he were younger. Then, he started making inappropriate compliments, then switched to criticism and started talking about my appearance. As a result, I silently waited till the end of the ride, got out of the car and I had the feeling that I was dragged through the mire,» says Victoria.
According to her, this is not the only case when taxi drivers violated her personal boundaries.
«I do not remember clearly what and how they said, but emotionally, I felt very uncomfortable,» recalls Victoria.
I imagined the worst outcome
«Once, after a party with my colleagues in the evening, I called a taxi,- Aydai says. - It was late, but there were still cars on the street, people were taking a stroll. My college decided to accompany me. When the taxi arrived, she said she remembered the license plate number of the car and asked to text her when I get home. We said goodbye, and the car drove away. The driver stopped at the nearest traffic light, turned around and asked, «Why did she remember the number?» «Probably, for safety,» I tried to reply cheerfully. «Does she think I am going to kill you?» the second question from him followed. I did not know how to reply and I really got scared at that moment».
After this case, Aydai always calls her family and asks to meet her if she stays late.
«That evening, the driver did not talk anymore, neither did I. It seems that he did not do anything: did not insult, did not threaten, but this question, after which I vividly imagined the worst outcome, knocked me sideways,» Aydai says.
«That evening, the driver did not talk anymore, neither did I. It seems that he did not do anything: did not insult, did not threaten, but this question, after which I vividly imagined the worst outcome, knocked me sideways,» Aydai says.
They do not complain because they are ashamed
Lack of confidence about own safety in a taxi is reinforced by many news stories of attacks on women.
In November 2018, a video appeared on social media where two men rescued a woman in hijab from a Honda Fit taxi, where a 49-year-old man forcibly held her. The incident occurred at night in Bishkek, when the woman was returning home. A car stopped near her, the driver offered to take her home.
It was dark and cold, and the woman got in a car suspecting nothing. The man attacked her, tried to undress and rape her. Eyewitnesses heard the screams, ran to the car and pulled the woman out of it. A couple of days later, the police detained the taxi driver and only then, the victim filed a statement.
The police reported that initially, she did not want to complain, as she was ashamed. However, after the taxi driver was arrested for two months, and the media covered this story, two more female victims addressed the police.
It turned out that the same taxi driver tried to rape a 29-year-old woman in his car on the outskirts of the city two days after the first attempted rape.
Another victim stated that the same driver tried to rape her in February 2018.
«Then the woman decided that the man would not be found and gave up the idea of contacting the police. Only after watching the news at the end of November and recognizing the taxi driver, she decided to file a statement against the man,» the police reported.
These stories demonstrate that some women choose not to report attempted rape despite the fact that it is punishable by law. Meanwhile, harassment and inappropriate flirting in a taxi is not registered by anyone except the women themselves, who experience it.
In November 2018, a video appeared on social media where two men rescued a woman in hijab from a Honda Fit taxi, where a 49-year-old man forcibly held her. The incident occurred at night in Bishkek, when the woman was returning home. A car stopped near her, the driver offered to take her home.
It was dark and cold, and the woman got in a car suspecting nothing. The man attacked her, tried to undress and rape her. Eyewitnesses heard the screams, ran to the car and pulled the woman out of it. A couple of days later, the police detained the taxi driver and only then, the victim filed a statement.
The police reported that initially, she did not want to complain, as she was ashamed. However, after the taxi driver was arrested for two months, and the media covered this story, two more female victims addressed the police.
It turned out that the same taxi driver tried to rape a 29-year-old woman in his car on the outskirts of the city two days after the first attempted rape.
Another victim stated that the same driver tried to rape her in February 2018.
«Then the woman decided that the man would not be found and gave up the idea of contacting the police. Only after watching the news at the end of November and recognizing the taxi driver, she decided to file a statement against the man,» the police reported.
These stories demonstrate that some women choose not to report attempted rape despite the fact that it is punishable by law. Meanwhile, harassment and inappropriate flirting in a taxi is not registered by anyone except the women themselves, who experience it.
In 2019, the Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges conducted research on sexual harassment in universities and workplace.
It showed that in case of sexual harassment, women seek help and advice from friends, family and relatives. At the same time, according to research results, not a single case of addressing the law enforcement agencies was registered.
«According to respondents, when filing a complaint on sexual harassment, most often the victim will be blamed for this situation, implying that she provoked the harassment by her behaviour. This is the main reason why victims do not address the law enforcement agencies,» the research states.
The fear of public disclosure of the sexual harassment cases, and the public opinion that the woman herself is guilty become the reasons for the lack of motivation for punishing the abuser.
It showed that in case of sexual harassment, women seek help and advice from friends, family and relatives. At the same time, according to research results, not a single case of addressing the law enforcement agencies was registered.
«According to respondents, when filing a complaint on sexual harassment, most often the victim will be blamed for this situation, implying that she provoked the harassment by her behaviour. This is the main reason why victims do not address the law enforcement agencies,» the research states.
The fear of public disclosure of the sexual harassment cases, and the public opinion that the woman herself is guilty become the reasons for the lack of motivation for punishing the abuser.
Aliya Chalakeeva, Financial Director of the Namba Taxi service in Bishkek, agrees with this opinion. According to her, customers mostly complain about the rude behaviour of some drivers, but there are only 3-4 complaints about harassment over the past three years.
Aliya Chalakeeva
Personal photo
«We cannot exclude that women keep silent about such facts and do not report them. There are clients who call the contact center after the slightest rude attitude to them. Their call is redirected to the quality control department, the latter responds to the complaint. As for harassment, it is quite possible that the mentality plays the role here and many women do not talk about such cases,» Chalakeeva says.
Namba Taxi Service, known as «Bi Taxi» now, is operating in the Kyrgyz market for eight years, and employs more than 10 thousand drivers in Bishkek only.
«All our taxis are equipped with GPS trackers, which allow us to track the car's route. The transport department selects and hires the drivers. If a candidate suits us, the managers train him; we have brochures that describe in detail how to use the application, what cannot be said to passengers. Also, our regular customers know that there is a quality control department which they can address with the complaint,» says Chalakeeva.
She notes that they receive more complaints from women than from men, and conflict situations arise during peak hours from 8 to 10 AM and from 4 to 8 PM.
«At this time, all taxi services are busy, the driver receives many orders, and, after a long wait, the client may also be stressed. Therefore, the conflict situations arise at this time,» says Chalakeeva.
The Head of the «Chance» Crisis Center Elena Tkacheva notes that they did not receive any complaints about harassment in a taxi this year, but a couple of years ago, such cases were registered often.
«All our taxis are equipped with GPS trackers, which allow us to track the car's route. The transport department selects and hires the drivers. If a candidate suits us, the managers train him; we have brochures that describe in detail how to use the application, what cannot be said to passengers. Also, our regular customers know that there is a quality control department which they can address with the complaint,» says Chalakeeva.
She notes that they receive more complaints from women than from men, and conflict situations arise during peak hours from 8 to 10 AM and from 4 to 8 PM.
«At this time, all taxi services are busy, the driver receives many orders, and, after a long wait, the client may also be stressed. Therefore, the conflict situations arise at this time,» says Chalakeeva.
The Head of the «Chance» Crisis Center Elena Tkacheva notes that they did not receive any complaints about harassment in a taxi this year, but a couple of years ago, such cases were registered often.
Elena Tkacheva
Photo from the Internet
«The taxi services should instruct their employees, and not recruit according to the criteria «he does not drink, does not smoke, and has a car» . The driver is on duty, the passengers may be different, but in any situation, he must be calm and impersonal,» says Tkacheva.
According to her, the drivers need to be taught not only the rules of behaviour, but also gender sensitivity, since they might not only harass, but also swear and behave rudely.
According to her, the drivers need to be taught not only the rules of behaviour, but also gender sensitivity, since they might not only harass, but also swear and behave rudely.
«The most important thing we can do to prevent harassment is to strengthen the employment process of drivers, as well as pay attention to their training, since we are responsible for a comfortable ride for passengers,» says taxi service Financial Director Chalakeeva.
She notes that the taxi service is represented on social networks where every citizen can write a complaint.
She notes that the taxi service is represented on social networks where every citizen can write a complaint.
Aliya Chalakeeva
Personal photo
«If you experienced the driver's inappropriate behaviour and do not want to create a conflict situation, you can call the contact center after the ride is over. Personally, I would advise to prevent the provocative situations, not to answer inappropriate questions from drivers and immediately call our contact center as soon as the inappropriate behaviour of the driver is observed,» recommends Aliya Chalakeeva.
How to protect yourself from harassment
Sexual harassment is difficult to prove if you were alone in a taxi, there are no witnesses, no physical signs of harassment, no audio or video recording.
Lawyer Elvira Tilek kyzy notes that the Kyrgyz law does not fully defines the "harassment" concept.
For example, the Law "On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women" mentions "sexual harassment".
Lawyer Elvira Tilek kyzy notes that the Kyrgyz law does not fully defines the "harassment" concept.
For example, the Law "On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women" mentions "sexual harassment".
Sexual harassment is actions of a sexual nature, expressed verbally or physically, humiliating and insulting a person who is in the labour, official, material, family and other dependence.
«Speaking of harassment in a taxi, such cases may not quite fit this definition. It also does not cover harassment on the street, which occurs everywhere,» says Tilek kyzy.
In addition, the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan contains Article 163 «Coercion to Sexual Actions» :
«Coercion of a person to sexual intercourse, pederasty, lesbianism or other actions of a sexual nature by blackmailing or using material or other dependence of the victim in the absence of elements of crime» .
This crime is punishable by deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for 4 to 5 years or correctional works from 280 to 360 hours, or a fine of $125 for individuals and $350 for legal entities, or imprisonment up to 2.5 years.
«Speaking of the cases in a taxi, the only things that can be considered as coercion are the driver's offers to have sex, taking off the clothes, blocking the doors. Only coercion to acts of a sexual nature is considered a violation, followed by a punishment in the form of first category imprisonment [up to 2.6 years – Ed.], which is very short. The fact of coercion is very difficult to prove, there must be strong evidence, and if there are no witnesses, it is likely that the case will not be investigated and will be closed,» the lawyer notes.
In addition, the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan contains Article 163 «Coercion to Sexual Actions» :
«Coercion of a person to sexual intercourse, pederasty, lesbianism or other actions of a sexual nature by blackmailing or using material or other dependence of the victim in the absence of elements of crime» .
This crime is punishable by deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for 4 to 5 years or correctional works from 280 to 360 hours, or a fine of $125 for individuals and $350 for legal entities, or imprisonment up to 2.5 years.
«Speaking of the cases in a taxi, the only things that can be considered as coercion are the driver's offers to have sex, taking off the clothes, blocking the doors. Only coercion to acts of a sexual nature is considered a violation, followed by a punishment in the form of first category imprisonment [up to 2.6 years – Ed.], which is very short. The fact of coercion is very difficult to prove, there must be strong evidence, and if there are no witnesses, it is likely that the case will not be investigated and will be closed,» the lawyer notes.
Elvira Tilek kyzy considers the absence of the «harassment» definition and explanation of how harassment differs from sexual abuse, as factors of the ineffectiveness of the laws.
Elvira Tilek kyzy
Personal photo
«Our law defines harassment as acts of a sexual nature by a boss or other person on whom a victim is economically dependent, but does not consider the fact that harassment can be committed by other colleagues, strangers on the street, in a taxi. Now, we will not be able to solve this problem, so we need to revise the legislation,» says Elvira Tilek kyzy.
According to her, it is necessary to adopt a law, which will define the mechanisms for countering discrimination on various characteristics, including gender discrimination.
In addition, she notes the need to change the mechanisms of investigating such cases.
The harassment victims do not turn to law enforcement agencies for various reasons, but, according to lawyers, the law enforcement agencies neither are interested in investigating such cases.
«Law enforcement agencies do not accept such statements, as they also have sexist stereotypes, so it is necessary to cover this problem more to make it visible,» says Elvira Tilek kyzy.
In addition, she notes the need to change the mechanisms of investigating such cases.
The harassment victims do not turn to law enforcement agencies for various reasons, but, according to lawyers, the law enforcement agencies neither are interested in investigating such cases.
«Law enforcement agencies do not accept such statements, as they also have sexist stereotypes, so it is necessary to cover this problem more to make it visible,» says Elvira Tilek kyzy.
The Head of the «Chance» Crisis Center Elena Tkacheva recommends using the official taxi services for safety in a taxi.
Elena Tkacheva
Photo from the Internet
«They track the ride and record the arrival to the destination. If something happens, you can call the operators and complain,» says Tkacheva.
She also recommends sitting behind the driver for safety.
«If the driver talks to you, you must warn him saying, «Stop it» . These words alert us that we are getting out of the trust zone and preparing for the next actions. If the driver does not stop, you should say that the driver's actions violate your personal boundaries,» says Tkacheva.
She notes that actions violating a person's personal boundaries can be considered a violence.
«A person takes a taxi not to meet the taxi driver, but to get to a destination. If the driver does not stop, you should say that you are calling the police. Call 102 and tell where you are and that the driver is abusing you,» recommends Elena Tkacheva.
She also recommends sitting behind the driver for safety.
«If the driver talks to you, you must warn him saying, «Stop it» . These words alert us that we are getting out of the trust zone and preparing for the next actions. If the driver does not stop, you should say that the driver's actions violate your personal boundaries,» says Tkacheva.
She notes that actions violating a person's personal boundaries can be considered a violence.
«A person takes a taxi not to meet the taxi driver, but to get to a destination. If the driver does not stop, you should say that you are calling the police. Call 102 and tell where you are and that the driver is abusing you,» recommends Elena Tkacheva.
Our team:
Authors:
Zulfiya Raisova,
Nazigul Zhusupova,
Mazhab Jum'a,
Irina Matvienko
Nazigul Zhusupova,
Mazhab Jum'a,
Irina Matvienko
Editor:
Natalia Lee
Idea:
Zulfiya Raisova,
Dastan Akkozha
Idea:
Zulfiya Raisova,
Dastan Akkozha
Collection of the stories:
Ismail Karypov,
Farangis Davronova,
Vera Sukhina,
Anastasia Cherepanova,
Dastan Akkozha,
Kirill Fleyman,
Moldir Alban
Farangis Davronova,
Vera Sukhina,
Anastasia Cherepanova,
Dastan Akkozha,
Kirill Fleyman,
Moldir Alban
Illustrations:
Nasiba Karimova
Layout and design:
Karina Tolmacheva
Layout and design:
Karina Tolmacheva
The longread was created as part of the Central Asia Taxi Safety Information Campaign
