ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan -- Born with a severe form of cerebral palsy and epilepsy, life has always been difficult for Meerim Aliaskarova.
But everything in her life took a turn for the worse when Meerim was raped at the age of 16 by her neighbor in the northeastern Kyrgyz village of Kurmenty two-and-half years ago.
She gave birth to the stillborn child fathered by the rapist with a Caesarean section, a traumatic experience that left the teenager suffering more frequent seizures, high blood pressure, and anxiety, her family says.
“Before the incident, Meerim would go without any [epileptic] seizure for up to six months, but now she gets seizures two to four times a month,” her sister, Jypar Jigitekova, says.
“The seizures have also become more severe. After each one she doesn’t eat and becomes bedridden for 10-15 days. Before she would get better within a week,” Jigitekova told RFE/RL. “She has become withdrawn and doesn’t like talking and interacting with people.”
The neighbor, 66-year-old Duishenaly Adykov, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for the crime. Adykov lost his latest court appeal on October 30. Adykov's relatives claim he is innocent.
Aliaskarova’s case is among several similar incidents in Kyrgyzstan that led the authorities to introduce tougher punishments for sexual assault and other crimes against minors that remain prevalent in the Central Asian country.
Separately, they’re also planning stricter punitive measures for those convicted of sexual assault against the disabled.
Sexual violence against children is punishable by life imprisonment.
In May, Kyrgyzstan abolished a regulation that spared defendants who were aged 60 and older at the time of the crime from facing the maximum penalty for sexually assaulting minors.
Earlier, Kyrgyzstan eliminated the statute of limitations for pedophilia and prohibited granting an amnesty and parole for convicted pedophiles.
In January, the country adopted a law that bans law enforcement agencies from closing criminal cases involving rape, even if the parties reach an agreement outside court, a relatively common practice in Central Asia.
Supporters of that law argued that such practices lead to victims being denied justice.
Speaking Up
Sexual violence and other crimes against minors, including handicapped children, are commonplace in Kyrgyzstan, according to official statistics.
The Prosecutor-General’s Office recorded 406 serious and particularly serious crimes against minors in 2023, including at least 160 rapes.
In June, police in Jalal-Abad Province detained a 35-year-old man on suspicion of raping a four-year-old girl in the courtyard of a high-rise residential building.
In August, a man was detained in the southern region of Osh on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor. The 14-year-old victim gave birth after a rape-related pregnancy, police said.
One month later, police in the northeastern Tyup district -- Aliaskarova's home region -- reported that another disabled girl had been raped. A criminal probe is under way.
Nazgul Turdubekova, the head of the Child Rights Defenders’ League, said the attackers of disabled children in Kyrgyzstan often “believe that handicapped children are weak, unable to defend themselves, and unlikely to be believed due to their limited ability to communicate effectively.”
Turdubekova also pointed to a lack of specialized social workers to regularly visit the homes of the handicapped minors, assess their living conditions, and “educate parents on the importance of vigilance in caring for their disabled children.”
Many Kyrgyz believe the real number of sexual violence cases against minors is much higher than the official figures, because many children are too afraid to complain or simply don’t understand they’re being abused.
In many cases, the families prefer not to report the crime, fearing a lifetime of perceived “disgrace” in the conservative country.
But Aliaskarova’s family has decided to speak up and seek justice for her. However, despite the perpetrator being behind bars, the family fears Aliaskarova will never be able to rebuild her life.
Her father, Aliaskar Jigitekov, who is blind, blames himself for not being able to protect his vulnerable daughter.
“I wonder if it wasn’t for this tragedy, that perhaps my daughter would have met someone and gotten married,” he said. “The [rapist] just destroyed my daughter’s life.”
Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RL Kyrgyz Service correspondent Kunduz Kyzylzharova
