Rural girls in Kyrgyzstan continue to face serious challenges in realizing their rights. Despite the adoption of laws and international commitments, early and forced marriage is still common in rural and remote areas. Once married, girls often leave school, lose access to health services and information, and become dependent on their husbands and in-laws. These patterns are connected to poverty, traditional gender roles, and the lack of youth-friendly services and community-based protection.
This national monitoring report is prepared as part of the SDG+10 initiative to review progress after ten years of the Sustainable Development Goals. In our application, we chose to focus on SDG 5 (Gender Equality), with special attention to Target 5.3 on ending child, early and forced marriage and Target 5.6 on ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. These two areas were identified as priorities because they remain critical issues for rural girls in Kyrgyzstan. Although legal reforms have been introduced, implementation and accountability continue to fall short.
