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On 21-22 August, women leaders, politicians and civil servants from all provinces of Kyrgyzstan gathered at the second National Forum Women's Leadership – A Breakthrough into a New Era. The forum served as a platform for dialogue about the importance of women's contribution to the development of society, rethinking women's leadership factors and creating a joint strategy for the development of the country.

Within the first two weeks of 2020, three women were beaten to death by their husbands or partners in Kyrgyzstan. Sadly, these were not isolated incidents. Despite having a domestic violence law in place since 2017, domestic violence is not rare in Kyrgyzstan. In fact, reports of abuse are rising. Since 2011, the number of reported incidents of domestic violence has risen by 400 percent.

Most victims are women and their abusers are usually their husbands.

In 2017, Kyrgyzstan faced a critical turning point in the country's history. For the first time, an elected president would willingly hand power to an elected successor. Recognizing the importance of this vote, a group of 15 young activists from across the country worked together to carry out a youth-led Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign.

Women in Kyrgyzstan face stark barriers to full political participation. Despite holding 23 seats in parliament, women reside in few leadership positions in parties. For example, Kyrgyzstan law requires that women make up every third name on a party candidate list.

The U.S. isn’t the only country deep into an election season. The former Soviet republic of Georgia, which gained independence in 1991, is heading into parliamentary elections in October. But while Hillary Clinton is busy breaking down gender barriers in U.S. politics, in Georgia women remain severely under-represented in the halls of power.