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Bulletin of Abai KazNPU. Series of Sociological and Political sciences

SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM MOVEMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN ON ISSUES OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE

Published June 2021

177

144

SmarTEST Prep in Nur-Sultan

Bio
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L.R. Vaigorova

Co-owner of Smar TEST Prep in Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan; e-mail: laura.vaigorova@alumni.nu.edu.kz

Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

e-mail: yernazar.kumar@alumni.nu.edu.kz

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Y. Kumar

Expert at the Institute of Diplomacy at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan; e-mail: yernazar.kumar@alumni.nu.edu.kz

Information and Analytical Department, Media Analytics Management; Center for Analysis and Information of the Ministry of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Bio
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B.S. Baktybayev

Leading Expert of the Information and Analytical Department, Media Analytics Management; Center for Analysis and Information of the Ministry of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan; e-mail: bektas.baktybayev@alumni.nu.edu.kz

Abstract

This paper analyzes several aspects concerning the national issues of rape and sexual harassment incidences in the context of Kazakhstan via a discourse analysis approach of social media activist movements. The article touches upon crucial social media movements, such as ‘#MeTooTalgo’, ‘NeMolchi.kz’ or ‘#OrtashaEmes’, which all emerged after the 2016 incident with the rape case in a Talgo Train, causing eventually an upward rising tendency for awareness-raising social media campaigns across the country. Alongside that, the paper also provides insight into the discussion about the societal influence of the contextual conservative patriarchal state on women, the factors causing women to become victims of sexual and physical abuse as well the power of the social media as a tool and platform for catalyzing the enraged voices of women into influential instruments for societal changes. On top of that, this paper also looks at how the movements of social media activism have influenced government decisions and law amendments in the country towards tightening legislations. The paper follows a discourse analysis research methodology, where only secondary sources of information are used and referred to. In conclusion, the significance of this paper is that it tries to enlighten and bring forth one of the societal problems that women and under-aged girls in Kazakhstan face, and which has yet to be accepted as a “societal problem” by the society itself. Hence, despite the conservative regime with a still developing but much promising civic society, social media has shown to be ‘a free fighting space’ for those who want to voice their problems and for those who want to be heard.

pdf (Русский)
Language

English

How to Cite

[1]
Vaigorova, L., Kumar, Y. and Baktybayev, B. 2021. SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM MOVEMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN ON ISSUES OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE. Bulletin of Abai KazNPU. Series of Sociological and Political sciences. 74, 2 (Jun. 2021), 108–116. DOI:https://doi.org/10.51889/2021-2.1728-8940.16.