In the department, it is emphasized that in recent years there has been an increase in complaints about sexual harassment in both public places and private relationships in Kyrgyzstan. However, the current legislation does not fully cover such cases and does not always allow for holding offenders accountable in accordance with the severity of the committed act.
At present, there is no clear definition of the term "harassment" as an unlawful act, nor are there any provisions that establish liability for its initial and repeated commission.According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the introduction of legal liability for sexual harassment, as well as its classification by severity and frequency, will create a mechanism for preventing such offenses. This will ensure legality and inevitability of responsibility for offenders, thereby guaranteeing citizens their constitutional rights to personal inviolability and freedom.
In this regard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs proposes to add a new article 126-1 "Harassment" to the Code of Offenses:
- Sexual acts carried out without the consent of another person in public places that violate the dignity of another person and create a threatening, hostile, or humiliating environment will be punishable by a fine of 200 calculation indicators (20,000 soms) or arrest for a period of three to seven days.
- Repeated sexual acts within one year committed by a person previously held accountable under article 126-1 of the Code of Offenses will be punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
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