“May I ask you something?”: street harassment cases rise in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan has recorded a record number of cases related to harassment in public places. In 2025, authorities registered 115.9 thousand administrative offenses under Article 449 of the Administrative Code, which is 29 percent more than in the previous year, citing the First Credit Bureau.

According to analysts, the article “Harassment in public places” covers intrusive and persistent behavior such as aggressively offering services — including fortune-telling, prostitution, or selling goods — as well as begging in public areas. These include streets, squares, shopping centers, railway stations, public transport, and other crowded locations.

Since the provision was introduced in 2015, an increase in such offenses has been recorded in seven out of ten years, with an average annual growth of 37 percent. In 2025, the number of registered cases under this article exceeded 100,000 for the first time.

Case reviews and penalties

Last year, 115.6 thousand administrative cases were reviewed, with 440 cases dismissed. In most instances, offenders received warnings — 111.4 thousand cases. Fines were imposed less frequently, in 3.4 thousand cases. The total amount of fines issued reached 56.3 million tenge, of which 25.7 million tenge was actually collected.

Rare penalties included administrative arrest (146 cases), deportation from Kazakhstan (120 cases), and community service (3 cases).

In total, 115.1 thousand people were held accountable, including 1.6 thousand foreign nationals and 67 minors.

Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan plans to introduce liability for workplace harassment. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, together with international experts, has prepared relevant amendments to labor legislation.