Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva: We want to change the attitude in society that causes violence against children

The participants of the event called for “quick and decisive action” to pass the draft law, which envisages the development and implementation of multidisciplinary services to prevent and combat violence. Adoption of the document is expected to strengthen legal protection for children and improve support systems such as family counseling, psychosocial support, life skills training, and safe housing.

A recent multi-indicator survey conducted by UNICEF showed that two-thirds (62%) of children aged 1 to 14 years in Uzbekistan were exposed to violent upbringing methods (physical punishment, psychological aggression), and 33% of girls aged 15-19 years believed that the husband had the right to beat his wife. 

Tanzila Narbayeva (center) and Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva (right). Photo: UNICEF. 

In the nine months of 2023, 1,240 cases of violence against minors were recorded in Uzbekistan, of which 417 were sexual violence, Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, the first deputy director of the National Agency for Social Protection under the President, said in her speech.

“It is terrible that cases of domestic violence are increasing. Imagine that in nine months of this year, 166 cases of violence against children by relatives, including relatives, were recorded. Unfortunately, even official statistics do not allow an objective assessment of the scale. The truth is worse than that,” she said.

“Abused children of usually do not report that they have been abused. Often they remain silent about the situation due to fear, shame or family loyalty. Especially if the abuser is one of the closest people to the child,” Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva said.

She said that even if the school and family are aware of cases of violence against children, people still look at the fate of the child with indifference and do not report it to guardianship authorities or law enforcement agencies.

A spokeswoman for the Social Security Agency added that with increased access to the internet, child abuse is taking on new forms, such as cyberbullying and online sexual exploitation, with “scary and often life-changing” consequences.

“Also, I would like to draw the attention of law enforcement agencies to the need to strengthen prevention of violence, improve response measures and work with abusers. We should stop turning a blind eye to this problem,” Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva said. “We want to break the silence on this pressing issue and change the attitude in society,” she added.

The first deputy director of the agency listed the aspects that, in her opinion, should be reflected in the draft law on protection of children from violence:

1.  Radical strengthening of measures against persons who commit violence against children. “It’s time to study the international experience to introduce stricter measures to prevent sexual violence against children. For example, a number of countries have introduced voluntary and compulsory chemical castration, as well as wristbands for lifelong monitoring of persons who have committed sexual violence, and a register of dangerous persons has been made public. I propose to study this issue and develop appropriate proposals taking into account all opinions,” Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva said.
2.  Strengthening the accountability of officials in cases of concealment of facts or failure to respond to appeals in cases of violence. “We know that, unfortunately, this happens often,” she said.
3.  Expanding the list of children at risk of violence, including children with long-term absence of parents, children of labor migrants.
4.  Defining new social service functions and interactions with law enforcement and other agencies in terms of ensuring children’s rights.
5.  Reducing the time it takes to issue a protection order and improve the response to violent incidents.
6.  Ensuring the confidentiality of information about victims of violence at all stages.
7.  A hot topic like bullying needs to be addressed.

Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva noted that 22 children died as a result of violence in nine months of this year. “Now they cannot be saved. I believe it is very important to speed up the adoption of the law being discussed today to help children who can be saved,” she said.

Regional Director of UNICEF for Europe and Central Asia, Regina De Dominikis, who visited Tashkent for the first time, spoke at the roundtable discussion.

“If this law is adopted, it can change the lives of Uzbekistan’s children, protect them, educate them, create an opportunity for them to realize their potential,” she said.

The representative of UNICEF added that “it is very important that the language and purpose of the draft law reflect the highest standards of child protection, so that the law is not just words on paper, but a force that changes the lives of all children in Uzbekistan”.

Gazeta.uz will soon prepare a review of the draft law “On protection of children from all forms of violence”.