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165

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan1
Youth Human Rights Group

IntroductionT

he change of power in March 2005 in Kyrgyzstan gave birth to new questions about the role of young people in the public life of a state, and in youth
movements. The “apathetic” (as it used to be thought) youth became thedriving force during those decisive events. Though young people were engaged
in the activities of various civil society institutions prior and after the March 2005
events – their role in daily life is less apparent, though much more meaningful.
for. The survey was not a general study of thesituation of the youth in Kyrgyzstan. It was akind of “internal assessment” of why young
people get involved with non-governmentalorganizations, international organizations,political parties, or work for the mass media.
The survey compared changes in youth motivations, visions of the future and their rolein the country’s development before and after
the events of March 2005 with the results of asimilar study in 2004.
The second part of the survey studied thelevel of awareness of the youth about the country’s youth policy, the priorities young people
from different social groups saw in the youth
policy, and their view on whether the actionsof government were effective or not.
To meet the above objectives, YHRG developed two questionnaires, the first for the
youth involved into the activity of civil society
institutions and the second for the youth fromdifferent social groups.
The survey involved several meetings withthe young representatives of civil society andyoung people from different social groups coming from different regions. These young people
were interested on the topic of youth policy.
After the interviews, the respondents continued
to ask questions about the youth policy andA lot depends on age. There is the possibility
for the youth to have an influence if … there isa strong idea present… then the youth would
believe in what it does and witness the results.2

The Youth Human Rights Group (YHRG)
undertook this research within the frameworkof the project “Participation of Youth in the
Promotion of Democracy and Youth Policy” tofind out the fundamental tendencies in youth
motivations to participate in civil society institutions and identify the degree of youth participation in the development of youth policy.
In 2004, YHRG undertook a research on therole of young people in civil society institutions,a kind of “analysis of tendencies.”3 The events ofMarch 2005 inspired the carrying out of a seriesof additional interviews to find out whether or
not the views, the state of young people’s engagement in the activities of non-governmentalorganizations, student movements, mass media,
and international organizations have changed.
More detailed findings of 2006 are discussed
in this research report.
The survey consisted of two parts. The firstpart addressed the reasons why young people
participate in the activities of civil society organizations, their motives, and their vision of
their roles within the organizations they work

165

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their rights. They actively participated in thediscussions on different topics that were notreflected in the questionnaire.
This report presents the outcomes of two
research phases (May-July 2004 and February-July2006).
The research raised some questions:• Do the young people feel that they havean opportunity to take part in politicaland public life of a state?
• Why do young people get involved in theactivities of civil society organizations?
• How they see their future career advancement?
• Do the young people have space forself-advancement within civil society
organizations?
• How can they evaluate their performancewithin civil society organizations, what
they consider as being positive, and calling for criticism?
Seventy-seven interviews4 were held withyoung activists under thirty years old in five
regions of Kyrgyzstan5 and Bishkek. In 2006,
fifty-three interviewsf covering all seven regions
were held. Even though both studies are notrepresentative, and grounded on opinions andperceptions of young people who participatedin the research, they to a certain extent give an
insight into modern tendencies of the youth.

Results of the Survey
Part 1Young people’s role and motivation forparticipation in civil society
1.

List of abbreviations

CS

Civil Society

SSState sector

HRA

Human Resource Agency

IO

International organization

YEA

Youth Employment Agency

YHRG

Youth Human Rights GroupNGO

Non-governmental organization

PP

Political party

2.

Introduction

2.1. Aims, objectives, the target group, andthe subject of research
Goals:
Identifying the role and motivation of the
youth to become involved in civil society(NGO, IO, PP).
Main objectives:• Identification of the youth’s participation (NGO, IO, political parties, etc.)•	The role of the youth within civilsociety•	The political significance of the youth•	The influence of the youth on the political, economic, and social aspects of thecountry• Awareness about policies directed towards the youth• Identification of major problems the
youth faces• Perception of such policies
Target group:
1.	Young people between the ages of 18
and 35 years involved in civil society
sectors (NGO, IO, PP, etc.)•	Youth movement activists•	Youth involved in activity of IO•	Student organization activists

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  167

Research subject:
Knowledge, evaluation, opinion, andsettled notions relating to the objectives of theresearch.
2.1. Research Methodology
Data collection
The semi-standardized, face-to-face interview was applied to study young people’s
motivation for participating in civil society
institutions.
Data was collected and modified in accordance with the specifics of each target grouptool kit – guide-questionnaires for young
people involved in civil society institutions.
Outcomes of the given research are based on
information accumulated by qualitative researchmethods (guide-questionnaires for face-to-faceinterviews).
The presented research is not all encompassing; it is based on the opinions, thoughts, andperceptions of young people engaged in civilsociety institutions with a sample of fifty-threepeople.
2.2. Confidentiality and security
During the research, each person interviewed was guaranteed full confidentiality. Private information was available only to membersof the research team, contracted by the research
conducting organization, in the matter of datacredibility check, analysis, etc. Confidentiality
was assured before the interview. The corresponding mark on the questionnaires meansthat the individual interviewed agreed to theinterview.
		

3. Social-demographic representation of theinterviewed
Table 1. Regional representation (n=53)
RegionNumber interviewed Percentage

Osh

12

23

Chui

11

21

Talas

11

21

Naryn

9

17

Karakol

5

9Batken36Jalal-Abad2

4

Table 2. Social-demographic representation (n=53)
Sex

Absolute number Percentage

Male

25

47

Female

28

53

Age

Absolute number Percentage

16-18

6

11

19-21

17

32

22-24

13

25

25-30

10

19

31<

6

11

Refused to answer

1

2

Education

Absolute number Percentage

Secondaryincomplete

3

6Secondary

5

9Secondary technical59Higher incomplete

14

26

Higher24

45

Refused to answer

2

4

168

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSTable 3. Sum of the working experiencein years within civil society sector (n=53)
Years

Absolute number

Percentage

>1

2

4

1-3

23

43

4-5

11

21

6-8

10

19

9<

4

8

З/О

3

6

4. Motives for young people to engage incivil society
4.1. Motives and reasons for participation
Diagram 1: Motives for participation in civil society
organizations

Table 4. Number of years spentin a given organization (n=53)
Absolute number

Percentage

>3

Years

13

25

3-5

40

75

All participants in the research havea sizeable working record in the civil society sector (varying from one to eight years and more).
The purpose of this solid criterion is to raise thecredibility of the obtained outcomes, opinions,views and perceptions of people associated withthe civil society sector.
The number of years the organizations held
activities, in which interviews were conducted,
is shown in Table 5. Based on the attained results, these organizations have been operating
for one to nine years.
Table 5. Number of years an organization
has been functioning in Kyrgyzstan
Absolute number

Percentage

>1

Years

1

2

1-3

13

25

4-5

9

17

6-8

12

23

9<

12

23

З/О

6

11

Diagram 1 shows that participation in civilsociety organizations is conscious, endorsed
by a desire to accomplish humanistic goals andopportunities for self-advancement. Under
humanistic goals, it should be understood thatthese actions are carried out in order to restatean active civic position. Their motives for involvement in civil society sector are expressedin the following manner:• Helping those who are in need•	To be useful• An interest in young people’s future• Dealing with social problems• Greater opportunities and freedom
within the non-governmental sector•	The youth is being restricted; I would
like to act locally, contribute, etc.
• Working in an NGO is contribution toself-advancement. This advancement isabout communicating with people andbeing useful to society. It is hard to attainjustice and I like to give people hope
• Better working conditions.

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  169

Diagram 2: Expectations from engagement into civil society sector (n=53)

4.1. Expectations from engaging in civilsociety sectors
Many of those who were interviewed expected to obtain opportunities for provisionof services bearing an educational or training
nature from their activity within civil society
organizations•	The dissemination of knowledge about
healthy life styles•	To teach under “equal to equal” methodology; incorporating western culture
into education•	Training in computer skills•	To develop the population’s legal awareness•	To increase society’s awareness.
Furthermore, most of the respondents arewilling to be useful to a greater degree• Find solution to as many problems facedby people as possible• Be more useful• Give help to all• Enhance tolerance• Activate the population• Bring all nations together• Destroy barriers between the state andordinary people• Change the situation.

Table 6 shows the number of years thatthe respondents are willing to spend within
civil society sectors and whether they have any
intention of leaving for another sector.
Table 6. Years spent within an organization
Years

Absolute number Percentage

1-3

20

38

4-5

6

11

5<

22

42

Difficult to answer

4

8

Refused to answer

1

2

Are you planning/willing to move to other sector (stateagencies, private sector)?
Variations

Absolute number Percentage

Yes

21

40

No

26

49

Difficult to answer

1

2

Refused to answer

5

9

If “yes”, then where? (n=21)
Spheres
Business

Absolute number Percentage
2

10

Other NGOs

2

10

State bodies

1152

Difficult to answer

6

29

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From Table 6, it is clear that most respondents are willing to stay within civil society
organizations for five or more years. A little
over half of the respondents are willing to moveto a state sector. Young people involved in civilsociety sectors frequently face problems suchas lack of understanding or simple ignorance.
Therefore, some respondents are willing toenter the state sector in order to change thesituation and attitude towards young people
from the inside.
5.

The influence of youth movements

According to opinions expressed by thoseinterviewed, young people are able to influence all spheres of society, especially politics
and cultural.
Diagram 3: Possible areas in which youth and youth
movements could have influence (n=53)

Respondents pointed out that young people
are able to hold various actions, festivals, competitions and share experiences and knowledge
with each other within cultural bounds.
• “participation in state governing, first of all in politics(via participation in publicmarches)”• “a lot depends on the age.
An effect will occur only ifthere is a strong leadership,strong idea. Then young
people will start to believein what it does and see the achievements”• “I am sure that it is possible with culture,
but for politics and the economy it is going to be a hard task. It is hard to makeinformation reach the state bodies. In
most of cases, information brought byyoung people is being filtered”• “currently there are not enough opportunities for youth, and it is not tied toyouth itself, but to political environment,
in which there is no space for self-advancement.”
5.1. Effect of March events
Further, a few questions on the role andstate of young people prior to the March events,
during the events and afterwards, were raised inorder to study its impact on societal life, opportunities for the youth and youth movements.
In general, the respondents shared common opinions that the youth were
inactive and insignificant:•	There was no trust in thegovernment•	There was a large information gap•	The youth were pessimistic
about the future•	There was no special treatment for
the youth. No one took them into account.
Diagram 4: Role of youth prior to March events (n=53Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  171

Table 7. Role of youth and youth movements
prior to March events
%

n=11

n=3

n=9

n=11

n=2

n=5

n=12

Role

Chui Batken Naryn Talas Jalal- Karakol Osh
Abad

Total

Insignificant,inactive

64

67

89

73

100

80

25

64

No role at all

55

0

0

18

0

0

25

21

Limitedopportunities due tohigh extent of power
corruption

9

0

0

0

0

20

17

8

Difficult to answer

0

33

11

0

0

0

33

11

Refused to answer

0

0

0

9

0

0

0

2

Table 8. Young people’s role during the March events
%

n=11

n=3

n=9

n=11

n=2

n=5

n=12

Role

Chui Batken Naryn Talas Jalal- Karakol Osh
Abad

Total

I didn’t participate
by force of
circumstances

27

0

0

18

0

0

25

15

Was against the
Revolution

18

0

0

0

50

0

0

6

Engaged withpersonal matters

0

0

22

0

50

0

0

6

Active

18

33

67

0

0

20

17

34

Passive

73

67

33

45

0

80

58

49

Difficult to answer

0

0

11

18

0

0

0

2

Refused to answer

0

0

0

18

0

0

0

4

Diagram 5: Young people’s role
during March events (n=53)

Frequently, there were
respondents who claimed
that there was no role forthe youth at all.
Table 7 shows a highpercentage rate for those
who found it difficult todetermine young people’srole prior to March eventsin Osh and Batken in particular. Interviewed persons
from Chui, Naryn, Karakol
and Talas believe that theyouth’s role before March
events was passive and of noimportance.
The role of the youth
during March events was
also passive, particularly inthe opinion of people interviewed in Karakol, Chui,
Batken and Osh regions.
Here are some interesting excerpts from interviews:• 	Young people’s activities were evident
during the March
events•	The youth were in
fear; they were wait-

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

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS•	Young people were significant; they wereboth initiators and organizers•	The youth belongs toa social group that caneasily manipulate what
is happening. It canstand for a mighty power if inspired by the ideathat something could
be changed within thestate. Young people behaved differently during
those events•	Talas witnessed a negative side to the events:
robberies. The youth
were turned into a tool
to overthrow the current power. Somewere bribed, others were given money
during meetings and so on.

Diagram 6: Young people’s role after March events(n=53)

Were against the Revolution•	They were against the meeting in thecity; they were involved in an election
campaign of a pro-governmental
candidate.

There are slight positive changes• Life has become easier, young people
are paid more attention, more vacancies
are available, and it has become easier toenter the state bodies•	Until these events, little attention was
paid to the youth and the youth itself
remained inactive

Young people’s passiveness was evident•	There were no mass disturbances within
the city•	The youth were calm
•	They were neutral%
observers• I did not participate inRole
those events. In my opinion, a third party manipuNolated the youth to change
meaningfulchangesthe regime, but still there
were also those who put
Slightforward their own motives
changesand interests, but they
Negative
were few.
changes

No meaningful changes occurred•	There are no meaningful changes•	Nothing has changed in our city.

Table 9. Young people’s role after March events
n=11

n=3

n=9

n=11

n=2

n=5

n=12

Chiu Batken Naryn Talas Jalal- Karakol Osh
Abad

Total

36

0

22

18

50

0

17

21

64

67

44

36

50

60

33

47

18

0

33

18

0

0

0

13

No changes

36

33

0

9

0

0

58

21

Difficult toanswer

0

0

11

0

0

40

0

6

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  173•	Young people invested trust on the new
government and the country’s future•	Young people stopped%
fearing the state andrespected the state
Changesbodies•	They started to holdNo significant
meetings
changes• Authorities started to
No changes
take the youth into
Positive intentions
account
came out• It has become easier in
Revision of valuesa psychological sense;
Negative changes
people are more confident in their future
Difficult to answer•	There was a period
Refused to answer
when the youth was
actively engaging into
politics, but then again, there were only
a few of them.
Negative changes•	The youth has become more aggressive, nationalism among young people
sharpened, “showdowns” with the useof arms taking place more often, they
have no respect for law and order.
No changes•	Nothing has changed• My role has not changed•	There are no changes in the youth• Everything is the way it was prior to the
Revolution.
There are no significant changes in theperformance of the organizations. Only a few
respondents wished to initiate positive changes.
It is possible that serious changes may occur if
this initiation is transformed into a concrete setof actions. (see Table 10).

Table 10. What and how has changed in performance of
YOUR organization after March events?
n=11

n=3

n=9

n=11

n=2

n=5

n=12

Chui Batken Naryn Talas Jalal- Karakol Osh
Abad

Total

82

33

33

0

0

40

8

30

9

33

33

9

50

0

67

28

9

33

0

55

50

20

8

25

0

0

0

9

0

0

0

2

0

0

11

9

0

0

8

6

0

0

11

0

0

20

0

4

18

33

11

18

100

20

8

13

Here are the excerpts from interviews withrespondents.
No significant changes• We keep doing what we did; revolutionary events did not change our field ofwork since our organization is out ofpolitics.
Nothing has changed•	Nothing has changed•	The state has not changed
Positive intentions came out• Goals of helping the state and people
getting educated appeared•	The new government is proposing new
ideas that are disadvantageous for theformer government and favorable to thenew one.
Values revised• It is first of all necessary to learn theobjectives and reasons of a leader• March events were a kind of a lesson to
me.

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Negative changes• March events were a bad representationof our organization.
The large majority of respondents statedyoung people’s valuable role in society’s development. However, this depends greatly on the
youth itself and youth movements in particular.
Young people must be highly organized witha clearly set strategy and be able to unite incommon opinion.
6.

Youth policy

Before going into deep research on theperceptions of young people and youth policy
in Kyrgyzstan, its notion, problems, solutions
and possible ways of its betterment, we tried
to find out what is being undertaken by statebodies to resolve already existing youth challenges. The overwhelming majority responded
that nothing is being done:• I don’t feel any efficient support• I try to deal with problems on my own•	State agencies are of no help and whenever we are undertaking something thestate has no interest• We offered to have cooperative entertaining events and public debates•	State bodies provide assistance; theministry of education helps with projects
such as the legal aid centers to become
an indivisible part in Universities• Local administration is willing to help,
but they do not possess sufficient financial support.
6.1. Vision of youth policy
According to the majority of respondents,
youth policy ought to be effective, functionaland flexible.

Effect• More attention should be paid toyoung people, especially to those at the“middle” level in order to support their
growth• Approved programs should be youth
needs oriented• Programs should be affordable and financially efficient•	The state should undertake studies andlearn about problems of young people;
there should be more young people
employed within the state sector.
Function•	To recruit clever young people•	To stand up not only for interests of thestate, but that of the youth also
•	To be guided by experienced people•	To solve youth unemployment and living
standard problems•	To improve education quality.
Flexibility• More friendly to the youths for them tobe able to express their opinion freely•	Removal of language barriers (Russian,
Kyrgyz and Uzbek)•	Should answer current demands• Focus on personality• Focus on the youth and the growing
generation• It is possible for the state bodies to recruit more young people.
6.2. State policy’s priorities toward young
peopleThe majority of civil society sector representatives agreed that finding a remedy to unemployment, educational issues, financial support,
and ideological training should be among theyouth policy’s priorities.
Finding a remedy to unemployment• Human resource policies should be clear
and foreseeable, easing the proceduresof recruiting young people in the statebodiesYouth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  175• Enact a law to defend the working
youth• Create working places for young people•	The state should attract and developinterest in state services.
Finding solutions to educational problems• Improve education; make it more sensible to needs• Education at schools and Universities isof a poor quality and inaccessible•	There is a need for higher quality education.
Ideological training• Initiate ideological training at schools
and universities• Carry out the state’s ideology withinrational bounds.
6.3. Young people’s rights
Within the framework of the research, it wasalso suggested to find out which rights of theyoung people were being violated. The majority of respondents put stress on human dignity
and frequent cases of unjustified “interest” onbehalf of law enforcement bodies.
Violators and violations of human dignity• Law-enforcement agencies, state bodies• Administration of schools and universities•	Teachers at universities• Children who get humiliated and insulted• Children at school are persistently put
under pressure.
Young people complain that the absence ofwork experiences is the main reason of professional inapplicability. Some respondents mentioned frequent cases of students’ manipulation
during the elections (see Table 11).

Table 11. Which rights are violated most often?
RightsPercentage

Right to employment

32

Right to education

17

Right to adequate living standards

11

Right to Human Dignity

45

Freedom of assembly

6

Freedom of speech

28

Freedom of expression

21

Access to information2

Difficult to answer

8

Refused to answer

9

7. Problems faced by young people in civilsociety organizations
Lack of financial resources, philosophicalmisunderstandings, and difference in viewpoints are the major issues faced by the youth
involved in the civil society sector.
The creation of obstacles on behalf of thestate bodies•	State bodies do not take young people
seriously•	There are difficulties when communicating with the state authorities. They thinkof us as the enemies.
Table 12. What kind of problems do the young people
involved in civil society sector frequently face?
Problems

Percentage

Financial limitation

28

Limitation of time

6

Ignorance/ creation of
barriers by state agencies

21

Disagreement in views

28

No problems

2

Young people’s passivity

4Lack of information2

Difficult to answer

19

Refused to answer

13

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

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSThe respondents see the solution to theabovementioned problems by calling on youth
to take action.
7.1. Satisfaction with performance within
the organization
The majority of the respondents are satisfied with their performance within civil society
organizations. Many find support for their ideas
within organization; however, there are many
who do not. Some entered the organizationby themselves, got involved and stayed (seeTable 13).
Table 13. Are you satisfied with your performancewithin organization? (n=53)
Percentage
Yes

87

No

4

Partially

9

Do your ideas always enjoy support within
the organization?
Yes

57

No

11

Not always

32

Part 2
Awareness, Participation and Perspectives of Youth Policy
Socio-demographic background of respondents
Breakdown of the respondents according toregions is shown in Table 1:
Table 1. Regional representation of respondents (n=73)
RegionNumber of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Issikulskij

14

19

Chujskij

12

16

Talasskii

912

Batkenskii

11

15

Oshskii

12

16

Jalalabadskii

912

Narynskii

6

8

Breakdown of the respondents according
to socio-demographic parameters is shown in
Tables 2 and 3:
Table 2. Socio-demographic parametersof the respondents (n=73)

How did you get recruited to thisorganization?

Sex

Via advertisement in
press

13

Helped by friends/
relatives28

Own initiative40

Via YEA, HRA

6

An offer from employer

11

Difficult to answer

2

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Male

40

55

Female

33

45

Age

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

16 - 1820

27

19 - 2126

36

22 - 2416

22

25 - 3011

15

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  177

Education

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Not completed

68Secondary

7

10

Technical

7

10Some years inuniversity

37

51

University

16

22

Table 3. Occupation and type of activity (n=73)
Occupation

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Employee of a private
firm

18

25

Employee of a stateorganization

5

7

Student

40

55

Schoolboy/schoolgirl

4

5

Temporarily
unemployed/housewife

11Participation in Youth Programs
The respondents were asked if they had
participated in social youth programs in orderto determine the level of youth participation.
53 per cent of the respondents answeredthat they had not participated in social youth
programs The respondents interpreted ‘social
youth programs’ as participation in the KVN(“Club for the Lightheaded and Quick-witted”, a widespread entertainment contest
among youth) both as a member or an observer,
participation in youth festive events, participation in seminars and attending discos. Table 4
details the response.
Table 4. Participation in youth programs (n=73)
Participation

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Participation in the KVN

45

Observing the KVN

2

3

Involvement with IO

8

11

7

10

3

4

Discos710

No participation

32

58

Self-employed in thebazaar3

4

Festive events

Employee of an NGO

2

3

Participation inorganizing seminars

Position/Status

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Waiter/waitress

4

5

Difficult to answer

3

4Manager

10

14

Refused to answer

7

10Student

38

52

School attendee

4

5

Salesperson

45

Salesperson in thebazaar1

1

Average specialist

11

15

Unemployed1

1

The reasons for passiveness and non-participation of the respondents who stated that they
did not participate in the youth programs are
given in Table 5.
Table 5. Reasons for non-participation
in youth programs (n=42)
Reasons

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Work, school,
engagement with sports

29

40

Personal matters8

11

No interest

5

7

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

51 per cent of the respondents do not know
who is involved in organizing youth programs.
One-fifth of those interviewed thought that
NGOs, international organizations, university
students, and student councils mostly organizedyouth programs. The city council and local administrations were also recognized as providersof leisure for the youth through their organizingof festive events. Table 6 provides details.
Table 6. Organizers of youth programs (n=73)
Organizers

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Local self-governments

10

14Artists of theaters andphilharmonic

2

3

Civil society

14

19

Student councils

7

10Students themselves

811

Church2

3

Difficult to answer

21

29

Refused to answer

16

22

Main Problems of Youthyoung people noted the absence of finances as
the main reason for unemployment. However,
the absence of finances in turn is the result of
unemployment and corruption. Because 60
per cent of our target group included university students and schoolchildren, the problem
of corruption in universities and schools andtheir depressing financial situation came up as
well. The following are the excerpts from theinterviews:- There are no books…
- The quality of education is very low…
The absence of recreational activities andchoices for organizing leisure was determined
as one of the problems for the youth.
Potential Role of the Government in Assisting the youth
According to the respondents, the state
could have a positively influence on the quality of education and the potential employmentof the youth. These problems were a big
concern to the interviewed representatives ofthe youth.

The following are excerpts from the interviews•	The state could have provided a starting
capital for our businesses•	The state could have provided possibilities for organizing leisure by building recreational facilities, which would
have prevented the
Diagram 7: Problems of youth (n=73)
youth from being involved with drugs andalcohol•	The state could have
improved the qualityof education, provided
books for universities,
and improved the selection of professors•	The state could have

One of the main problems for the youth
is unemployment. This unemployment iscaused by the lack of vacancies as a result of
economic and political instability. 8 per cent ofrespondents also noted corruption as a cause ofunemployment. One-fifth of the interviewed

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  179

Diagram 8: What problems of the youth can the state solve? (n=73)

promising to do a lot for
the youth, but as soon as
he became a deputy heforgot all his promises.
	There were some who
noted some mobiliza-tionof youth movements:• I see on the televisionthat the youth is becoming more active,
which is good.

assisted with employment, for example,
by negotiating conditions for legal employment in Russia•	The state could have provided loans foryouth with low interest rates and without
collateral•	The state could have assisted with housing problems.

Table 7. What do you know about youth policies?
(n=73)
Youth Policy

Number of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Youth movements

6

8

No knowledge

19

26

Awareness of Youth Policies

Mobilization of youth
movements

11

15

Most of the interviewed respondents could
not articulate an answer to the question about
youth policies. This is not surprising, considering that the youth policy is vague andconfusing.
This was the reason why most of the respondents gave the following answers:• I have heard something about it, but it
does not strike deeper• I have heard something, but I do notknow who they are.

I have heard something

21

29

It is difficult to answer

17

23

Refused to answer

1

1

A large number of respondents admitted thatthey knew nothing about the youth policies.
A very small number of respondents knew
some of the youth movements:• I know the youth movement KELKEL…
• In Karakol, there was a leader of youth
organizations who ran for presidency,

Most of the respondents characterized theyouth policies as weak. Some noted that thecentralized youth policy exists only in Bishkek
and does not reach the other regions.
• I think that the state faces many othereconomic and social problems, which is
why the youth is ignored
The existing problems is also the result of
passivity among the youth itself:•	The youth does not have the inspiration
to move forward and the state does nothave the will to assist the youth

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Table 8. How would you characterize the youth policy
in Kyrgyzstan (conditions, weaknesses)? (n=73)
Characteristics

Number of Percentage of
respondents respondents

Weak

31

Centralized
Affected by negative
influence of state organs
Most of the youth ispassive

Influence

Number of Percentage of
respondents respondents

42

By my activity

16

76

3

4

5

11

Psychological training
seminars

1

8

By organizing leisure

1

5

7

10

By meeting officials of stateorgans3

14

Mobilization

1

1

Difficult to answer

21

29

Refused to answer

2

3

When asked whether or not they would liketo influence the youth policies, most respondents sounded confused. One-third of theinterviewed people had difficulty in answering
the question. The same number said that theywould like to influence the youth policies but
did not know how. There were a considerable
number of respondents who wanted to influence the youth policies and knew how to get
results.
Table 9. Do you want to influence
the state youth policies? How? (n=73)
Willingness to influence

Table 10. How can the youth policies be influenced?
(n=21)

According to most of the respondents, theforemost attention must be given to the issueof legal awareness of the youth:• Laws on youth rights: young people
should be informed about these laws sothat they know their rights. Attention
much be paid to the level of awareness of
all youths; youths should be encouraged
to conduct scholarly research in order to
get information about politics, meetingsand so on.
Table 11. What issues are of foremost significance foryou in the youth policies? (n=73)
Characteristics

Number of Percentage of
respondents respondents

Number of Percentage of
respondents respondents

Increased legal awarenessof youth32

44

Job creation

19

26

20

27

12

16

Yes

21

29

Yes, but do not know how

17

23

No

8

11

Quality of education in
universities

Difficult to answer

24

33

Difficult to answer

Refused to answer

3

4

The respondents listed a sufficient numberof rights that the youth should have. 47 percent of the respondents mentioned the rightto education.

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  181

Table 12. Do you know your rights and can you list
them? (n=73)
RightsNumber of Percentage of
respondents respondents

Consumer rights

3

4

Right to leisure

3

4

Right to change a name2

3

Right to education

34

47

Right to freedom of belief

13

18

Right to medical service

9

12

Right to personal property

5

7

Right to work

18

25

Right to freedom of
expression

18

25

Right to decent lifestyleand security

10

14

Right to freedom of
religion

2

3

Right to form coalitions

7

10

Difficult to answer

12

16

23 per cent of respondents admitted that law
enforcement organs, including arbitrary actionsof militiamen, had violated their rights:• It is hard to prove your innocencebecause I am a male and cannot avoid
harassment of the militia; in detention
facilities, I saw how the militia was violating the rights of suspects, they can beatthem up without any justifications fordoing so.
Right to choose:• Violation of the right to choose mostly
happens in universities; you are not freeand you are told what to do and what
to say.

Exploitation of students and schoolchildren:• I know that children in schools are forced
to work in the fields.
Table 13. Which of your rights are/have been violated
most often? In which circumstances? Who were theviolators? (n=73)
RightsNumber of
respondents

Percentage of
respondents

Arbitrary actions ofmilitia17

23

Freedom of expression
and consciousness

8

11

Right to choose

13

18

By teachers

2

3

Exploitation of youth
labor

9

12

No violation

10

14

Difficult to answer

24

33

Recommendations
The goal of our research was not to delve
deeply in the spheres of the youth policies
underlined by the law.7 We are confident that,in order to formulate recommendations foreach sphere of the youth policies (healthcare,education, support of young families etc.8), it
is necessary to conduct a thorough monitoring,and clarification of which legislations work andwhich do not. Further, it is crucial to have an
open discussion and cooperate with specialists
and NGOs working in those spheres.
In our research, we stress the issues of youth
participation in formulating youth policies, its involvement in the decision-making processes, andthe existing mechanisms of law enforcement.

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

Changes to approaches in the field ofyouth politics
1.	The state should recognize young people asa major societal resource and provide young
people with opportunities to become free,
active, and responsible people.
2.	Modify approaches to participation of young
people in all spheres of public life at the national, regional and local levels. Local andregional state authorities, when developing
strategies for advancement, which cover all
spheres of state and societal life, should ensure the presence of youth components andvarious ways for young people to participate
in societal life, determined by the youths
themselves and their representatives.
3.	Youth policy should ensure special support
and answer the needs of the youth living inprovinces for their interests in the advancement of their own village communities.

Priorities of youth policies

It is necessary to specifically identify youth
sectors as priorities within the framework of
the national development strategy and that ofyouth policy implementation:
1.	 Enhancement of youth participation in
the field of public policy.
2.	Support for young people to accessservices and information in order toestablish a comfortable atmosphere for
their advancement.
3.	 Establishment of opportunities foryoung people to get employed.

Amendments to legislation and programs in the field of youth policy
1.	Amend Article 2 of Law “On fundamentalsof youth policy” by introduction of concrete, clear and employable tasks for state
departments in each of the primary youth
policy spheres and fixed duties of thosedepartments.

2.	Improve the implementation mechanisms of
the law “On Foundations of Youth Policy”
to raise the efficacy of its implementation.
3.	Generate the decentralized system of youth
policy implementation by state and local
self-governing bodies.
4.	Introduce into the law “On Foundations ofYouth Policy” clear procedures of control
and reporting for state bodies responsiblefor its implementation. The reporting ofstate bodies upon carrying out strategies ofyouth policy implementation should cover
not only undertaken measures, but also
the evaluation of their influence on young
people and attainment of set goals andtasks.
5.	Introduce into the law “On Foundations ofYouth Policy” mechanisms of youth participation in formation of the youth policy anddecision-making when it is to be realized at
the local and national levels.

Endnotes
1
	This is an edited excerpt of the survey reportof the Youth Human Rights Group (YHRG) with L.
Chelnokova as editor and A. Shelestova doing the text
edit.
2
Interview by the YHRG with an employee of an
NGO – Research 2006
3
M. Lisitsyna undertook a contributing research
work in the 2004 Research during an internship at theInternational Forum for Democratic Research under
the National Endowment for Democracy (Washington,USA).
4
	Thirty-three males and forty-four females(relatively equal to 43 per cent and 67 per centrespectively) represented the respondents of the 2004
survey.
5Interviews were conducted in Osh, Jalal-Abad,
Naryn, Issyk-Kul and Chui regions.
6	Respondents of 2006 included 25 males (47 percent) and 28 female (53 per cent).
7
Law “On fundamentals of youth policy”,
Chapter 2
8Ibid.

Youth Policy in Kyrgyzstan  183

References
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