4.10 Programme Office in Astana On 14 April, the Office participated in the roundtable discussion entitled “No Violence in a Family”, co-organized by the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family Demographic Policy and the PGO. A new draft law and a new policy related to combating domestic violence developed by the PGO was presented and will be discussed with the public. On 22 May, the Office, jointly with the Justice Academy under the Supreme Court organized a training seminar on combating domestic violence for 40 some chairpersons of regional courts. The event provided judges with information related to domestic violence cases through deepening their understanding and enhancing their knowledge of respective areas and pertinent legal procedures. On 24 May, the Office, together with the Academy of Public Administration under the President and the US Embassy, supported a training seminar on the legal protection of victim rights, as part of a series of events aimed to combat THB. Some 40 regional court judges handling criminal, civil and administrative cases from courts across the country took part in the seminar. The seminar aimed to improve judges’ skills in human rights cases through enhancing their knowledge of respective areas and pertinent legal procedures. From 29 to 31 July, the Office supported a training seminar in Pavlodar and public discussion of the legal acts and mechanisms regulating police work in combating domestic violence. The event aimed at building the capacities of 30 police inspectors who respond to calls on possible domestic violence cases as well as staff from non-governmental organizations who assess the work of the police in this area. From 14 to 16 August, in Uralsk, the Office supported a three-day training seminar and public discussion on legal acts and mechanisms regulating police work in combating domestic violence. From 22 to 24 September in the Karaganda Region and 5 to 7 October in the Almaty Region, the Office supported a two-day training seminar on the monitoring of the legal acts and mechanisms regulating police work in combating domestic violence. These events aim at building the capacity of police inspectors who respond to calls on and handle domestic violence cases. On 26 September, the Office, jointly with the Justice Academy under the Supreme Court supported a training seminar on addressing domestic violence for 40 chairpersons of regional courts. The seminar aimed to develop judges’ skills in effectively handling domestic violence cases through deepening their understanding of gender issues and enhancing their knowledge of domestic violence law and legal procedures. 114 On 30 November, the Office supported a roundtable discussion on monitoring results of the legal acts and mechanisms regulating the police’s work in combating domestic violence. Over 60 participants discussed the current legislation and law enforcement practices related to preventing domestic violence, as well as possibilities to improve the work of local police in addressing the issue, based on the priorities outlined in the Kazakhstan Concept on Family and Gender Policy for 2030. Hate Crime On 29 May in Almaty, the Office and the Legal Media Centre NGO co-organized a seminar for some 30 lawyers and media specialists on effective legal protection against hate speech. Participants discussed international best practices for dealing with hate speech cases, learned how to build effective defence strategies in court and analysed legal cases under Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code. The participants were also introduced to tools and mechanisms to counter hate speech in the media and on the Internet, to reduce the potential harm from a malicious Internet environment and counter destructive behaviour such as trolling, cyber-bullying and hate speech. The seminar was led by experts from the Legal Media Centre, a non-governmental organization based in Kazakhstan, and the Mass Media Defence Centre, a nongovernmental organization working in the field of media rights protection and the promotion of freedom of expression standards in the Russian Federation. On 13 October in Petropavlovsk, 25 October in Aktobe, and 27 October in Ust-Kamenogorsk, the Office, in co-operation with the NGO Legal Media Centre, supported seminars on the protection of freedom of expression and tools to counter hate speech in the media and on the Internet. During the three events, some 70 participants, including journalists, law enforcement officials and representatives of civil society discussed ways to enhance co-operation between government, civil society and media organizations to address hate crime and hate speech. On 7 November, the Office and the Legal Media Centre co-organized a seminar for some 30 lawyers and media specialists on effective legal protection against hate speech. Participants discussed the legal cases under Kazakhstan’s criminal code and learned about international best practices in building effective defence strategies in court against hate speech. The seminar, led by experts from Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, also addressed hate speech in the media and on the Internet, and mechanisms to reduce potential harm from a malicious Internet environment and counter destructive behaviour such as trolling and cyber-bullying.