A/HRC/20/12 66. Bride kidnapping leads to 30 per cent of all marriages in the country. 6 Some victims of bride kidnapping are reportedly under 18 years of age. 7 67. In December 2011, ROCA organized a consultation for both central and regional authorities to promote and raise awareness about the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women,8 and with other partners is urging the Government to undertake more work on the implementation of the 2008 CEDAW recommendations, 9 which have only partially been implemented. H. Minorities 68. Levels of minority representation in official bodies are low, which severely undermines the ability of minority communities to fight discrimination, to voice their specific concerns and to influence the design and implementation of public policies. ROCA is working on a detailed assessment of levels and causes of underrepresentation of minorities in elected bodies, public institutions and in law enforcement agencies. Such an assessment should generate indicators of minority exclusion from participation in public life, and provide a baseline situation analysis, with a set of recommendations on legislative norms and policy practices required to address the issues of underrepresentation. 69. There is a wide gap between the authorities’ view of inter-ethnic relations and those of ethnic minority communities themselves. Authorities paint a positive picture, while communities raise concerns including: (i) the need to stop any police misconduct, in particular arbitrary arrest, extortion, ill-treatment and torture; (ii) requests for justice to be done and crimes committed during the June 2010 violence to be prosecuted; (iii) the lack of effective and meaningful participation in political and economic life; (iv) discrimination and harassment in the field of education and employment; (v) seizure of businesses and a takeover of the economic sector by ethnic Kyrgyz; (vi) migration of the male workforce to foreign countries.10 70. On 21-22 June 2011, ROCA co-organized a regional conference in Bishkek on “Advancing the Rights of Minorities in Central Asia” with a focus on effective minority participation in public life and ensuring effective participation in political, economic, social and cultural life. A concluding statement adopted by Governments’ representatives pledged to strengthen efforts to further improve minority participation in the countries represented and to continue dialogue on these issues. 71. ROCA supported efforts to inform and educate minority voters about forthcoming local elections, on 4 March 2012. Local elections traditionally receive less attention than national-level elections, although they are extremely important for the situation of national and ethnic minorities. ROCA, with UNDP, is assessing the effects of voter education on voter turnout surrounding the local council elections of March 2011 in Osh, Tokmok and 6 7 8 9 10 Human Rights Watch report, Reconciled to Violence: State Failure to Stop Domestic Abuse and Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan, Volume 18, No. 9 (D), (September 2006) p. 90 (footnote 341), http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/kyrgyzstan0906webwcover.pdf and reported by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Ms. Rashida Majoo, in her report on her mission to Kyrgyzstan (A/HRC/14/22/Add.2). 18 years is the legal age of marriage. Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (UNICEF and the National Statistical Committee) research indicates that 12.2 per cent of women in Kyrgyzstan marry before this age (2007). Mission to Kyrgyzstan, 2009. See CEDAW/C/KGZ/CO/3, paras. 19-22. ROCA/OMO field research, January 2012. 13