Committee on the Rights of the Child

Fifth periodic report submitted by Uzbekistan under article 44 of the Convention, due in 2018 *

[Date received:3 April 2019]

I.Introduction and general information

1.This report has been prepared in accordance with the treaty-specific guidelines regarding the form and content of periodic reports to be submitted by States parties under article 44 (1) (b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/58/Rev.3). It covers the period from 2013 to 2017. The report contains information about the implementation of the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Uzbekistan (CRC/C/UZB/CO/3-4), adopted on 14 June 2013, the Committee’s concluding observations on the initial report of Uzbekistan submitted under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC/C/OPAC/UZB/CO/1), adopted on 14 June 2013, and the Committee’s concluding observations on the initial report of Uzbekistan submitted under article 12 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC/C/OPSC/UZB/CO/1), adopted on 14 June 2013.

2.The present report was prepared by the National Centre for Human Rights, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education, the Ministry of Preschool Education, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry for the Development of Information Technology and Communications, the Ministry for Emergency Response, the Ministry of Justice and the courts and law enforcement agencies, on the basis of government statistics and information from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

3.General information about Uzbekistan is available in the common core document forming part of the reports of States parties (HRI/CORE/UZB/2017).

4.In accordance with paragraph 8 of the treaty-specific guidelines regarding the form and content of periodic reports, information submitted in the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Uzbekistan on implementation of the Convention has not been repeated in the present report; where necessary, references to paragraphs of these reports have been included. The present report was discussed by the Committee on Democratic Institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations and Citizens’ Self-Governance Bodies of the lower house of the parliament.

II.Substantive information on implementation of the Convention

General measures of implementation (arts. 4, 42 and 44 (6))

5.Information on national legislation adopted before 2003 to give effect to the Convention is contained in paragraphs 17 to 20, 22 and 23 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports. Moreover, in November 2013, Uzbekistan submitted comments on the Committee’s concluding observations on its combined third and fourth periodic reports and on its initial report under article 8 of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. During the reporting period, efforts to improve national legislation to uphold the rights and legitimate interests of children and to reinforce the protection of children from factors negatively affecting their development were ongoing.

6.The Strategy for Action in Five Priority Areas for the Development of Uzbekistan in the period 2017–2021, approved by the President of Uzbekistan on 7 February 2017, marked a new stage in the root-and-branch democratization and modernization of the country, including through the enhancement of the system for protecting human rights and freedoms and the legitimate interests of the individual.

7.The Strategy for Action served as the road map for the implementation by Uzbekistan of the Sustainable Development Goals and is being implemented in five phases. Each phase includes the adoption of a separate annual State programme for the Strategy’s implementation, focusing on the theme to which that year is devoted.

8.From 2013 to 2018, more than 20 laws, 30 presidential decrees and decisions, approximately 40 government decisions and more than 30 departmental enactments – some 100 instruments in total – were adopted with the aim of further improving the political, legal, social and economic conditions for the realization of children’s fundamental rights and freedoms and strengthening the family in Uzbekistan; these instruments took account of the Committee’s concluding observations and general recommendations on the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Uzbekistan.

9.In 2017, the Act on the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health was adopted. The Act prohibits the dissemination among children of information, which, inter alia:

•Incites children to commit acts posing a threat to their lives or health, including suicide

•May encourage children to use alcohol, tobacco, narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, gamble, participate in riots or engage in prostitution, vagrancy or begging

•Incites violence against people or animals

•Denies family values or promotes debauchery

•Justifies illegal conduct

•Includes pornographic content

10.The Criminal Code has been amended to stipulate that failure to provide for a minor through non-payment of maintenance for more than two months is punishable by up to 1 year’s imprisonment.

11.A policy framework for the refinement of criminal law and criminal procedure law is being implemented. In the framework, focus is placed on the further humanization of criminal law in relation to socially vulnerable groups, including minors and single persons with dependent minor children, and on ensuring reliable protection for the rights and legitimate interests of minors involved in criminal proceedings.

12.The “Youth Is Our Future” State programme has been adopted. Its aim is to ensure youth employment through support for young people’s business initiatives, start-ups, ideas and projects and training in professions in demand on the labour market and in business skills for unemployed youth. The programme covers young people over the age of 14 years. Its budget for the current year alone is equivalent to US$ 90 million. Under this programme, it is planned to provide young people with subsidized loans and leases at an annual interest rate of 7 per cent and to have public-private partnerships build co-working centres and complexes offering space for young people to establish commercial, domestic and small manufacturing enterprises.

13.Steps are being taken to strengthen national human rights institutions. In accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), the legal status of the Office of the Ombudsman has been reinforced. In 2017, the Ombudsman was granted the right to apply to the Constitutional Court for a review of the constitutionality of laws and other enactments on human rights, prepare special reports on the realization of the rights of individual categories of citizen, actively participate in drafting legislation, cooperate with civil society and strengthen the system of regional offices of the Ombudsman.

14.Measures have been taken to improve the effectiveness of the National Centre for Human Rights and to increase cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and other international bodies and civil society institutions. The website of the Centre has been redesigned and a conceptual framework is being implemented for the Centre’s cooperation with NGOs in preparing national and alternative reports on human rights and conducting informational and educational activities. A book has been published under the title Public Oversight of the Application of the Law in Uzbekistan.

15.The office of Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights and Lawful Interests of Business Entities (Business Ombudsman) has been established to eradicate the causes and conditions giving rise to violations of businesspersons’ rights and enhance monitoring in this area.

16.The question of whether to introduce the position of children and youth ombudsman is currently under discussion; a bill on a presidential commissioner for the protection of the rights of children and young people has been drafted jointly with experts from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

17.Currently, 92 per cent of the country’s children have measurements in line with the growth standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). According to a ranking produced by Save the Children, Uzbekistan has the ninth best health-care provision for the younger generation of 161 countries.

18.Close attention is paid in the country to quality education for young people. Approximately 60 per cent of the country’s annual budget is allocated to supporting the social sector, of which half is spent on education.

The Convention as part of national legislation and practice, and reservations

19.The national legislation underpinning the implementation of the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto is fully compatible with the international obligations of Uzbekistan.

20.The Children’s Rights Safeguards Act of 7 January 2008, as amended on 26 December 2016 and 13 June 2017, contains provisions on the protection of children’s rights to life, health and security of person and guarantees their protection from all forms of exploitation, physical, psychological and sexual violence, torture and other forms of cruel, ill- or degrading treatment, sexual harassment, involvement in criminal activity and so forth. The Act safeguards children’s right to the protection of their parents, persons in loco parentis, the tutorship and guardianship authorities, procurators, the courts and citizens’ self-governance bodies.

21.The Tutorship and Guardianship Act sets out the main outlines of public policy on the early identification, registration and placement of persons requiring tutorship or guardianship, support for the families caring for them, protection for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of persons under guardianship, the prioritization of a family environment for child-rearing, and cooperation between government agencies and civil society organizations.

22.A presidential decree was adopted on 29 May 2017 ratifying the regulations on the procedure for granting political asylum in Uzbekistan, under which political asylum is granted to individuals and their family members seeking asylum and protection from persecution or a real threat of persecution in the country of their nationality or permanent residence on the grounds of their social and political activities, religious beliefs and racial or ethnic affiliation, as well as from other human rights violations under international law.

23.On 8 September 2017, the Act on the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health was adopted to regulate the protection of children from such information. The Act sets out the main outlines of public policy in the relevant area, the powers of government agencies and the role of citizens’ self-governance bodies, NGOs and the media in public oversight of the application of the law and specifies the categories of information that may not be disseminated among children. The Health Care Act of 13 June 2017 guarantees children’s right to health care.

24.Children’s and young people’s rights have been given additional legal protection under the Youth Policy Act of 14 September 2016, which contains a definition of “youth” covering persons between the ages of 14 and 30 years inclusive.

25.Under the Presidential Decree of 30 November 2017 on additional measures to strengthen guarantees of the rights and freedoms of citizens during judicial investigations, information obtained through violations of procedural laws, including through the use of torture, is inadmissible as evidence in criminal cases. The President of Uzbekistan has categorically stated that the use of torture or of psychological or physical coercion or other forms of violence against persons who are in detention or subject to criminal prosecution will not be tolerated in Uzbekistan.

26.Steps have been taken to protect children’s property rights through additions to the Family Code. The law establishes liability for offences related to the glorification of violence and brutality and the production of pornographic material involving children and for preventing children from receiving compulsory education.

27.A presidential decree of 3 February 2017 specified the role of citizens’ self-governance bodies with regard to educating and protecting the younger generation from ideological threats, introduced the office of president for youth affairs of such bodies and approved a programme of comprehensive measures to further enhance the activities of citizens’ self-governance bodies, including those related to the prevention of child neglect and child and youth offending, the protection of children’s and young people’s rights, public oversight of the quality of education and childcare, and social support for large and low-income families.

28.The post of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for Youth Questions and corresponding posts of deputy heads of regional internal affairs departments have been established as part of the effort to combat child and youth crime. Measures have been taken to strengthen the status of the interdepartmental commissions on juvenile affairs working with bodies of the executive branch.

29.A presidential decision on measures to further enhance the system for the prevention of offending and the combating of crime stipulated the objectives of government agencies for cooperation with civil society in this area. Thursday of every week has been declared “Crime Prevention Day”. As a result of the measures adopted, the spiritual and moral situation in 22,370 dysfunctional families has been improved, the break-up of 11,345 young families has been prevented and 4,494 crimes have been detected. To establish an effective system of coordination for work to prevent offending and combat crime and introduce modern organizational and legal mechanisms to prevent and punish violations of the law, four national interdepartmental commissions have been established: the National Interdepartmental Commission to Prevent Offences and Combat Crime; the National Interdepartmental Commission on Juvenile Affairs; the National Interdepartmental Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons; and the National Interdepartmental Anti-Corruption Commission.

30.Implementation of the Strategy for Action in Five Priority Areas for the Development of Uzbekistan in the period 2017–2021 is a key task for the State and for society. The fundamental national priorities in the field of human rights and freedoms are outlined in the President’s message of 22 December 2017 to the national parliament:

(a)To improve the national system for the protection of human rights and freedoms through a radical change to the legal basis for the work of the system, including legislative, executive and judicial bodies;

(b)To fundamentally improve the quality and range of State services by refining the work of government agencies in this field, to cut back over 100 State administration and economic management agencies and to strengthen public oversight of the work of government agencies;

(c)To increase the role of NGOs in addressing the problems of citizens and in providing support for vulnerable population groups through the establishment of the Presidential Public Advisory Council for the Development of Civil Society, and to expedite the adoption of the law on public oversight and the establishment of public councils in all government agencies.

National action plan

31.The country has adopted national action plans and State programmes for the implementation of international standards on human rights and freedoms. In addition to the national action plan for the implementation of the recommendations issued by the Human Rights Council and the United Nations treaty bodies following consideration of the country’s national reports on human rights and freedoms in the period 2014–2016, the following plans have been adopted:

•A national action plan for 2016–2019 for the implementation of the recommendations made by the Human Rights Committee following consideration of the fourth periodic report of Uzbekistan (26 August 2016, 2017)

•An action plan for the further development of cooperation with OHCHR, approved by the national parliament on 16 June 2017

•A plan of practical measures (road map) to promote initiatives put forward by Uzbekistan at the seventy-second session of the General Assembly and to implement agreements reached after negotiations with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, approved by a presidential decree of 27 September 2017

•A national action plan for the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, of 13 October 2017

•Road maps for cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union, approved by the Government

32.A State programme to counter corruption in 2017–2018 and a plan of action to improve the effectiveness of efforts to combat trafficking in persons in the same period are being carried out, as are, inter alia: an implementation plan for 2017–2018 for International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions ratified by Uzbekistan; a decent work programme for 2017–2020; a series of measures to prevent domestic violence in 2017–2018; and a programme of comprehensive measures, adopted on 1 December 2017, to further improve the system of support for persons with disabilities and strengthen safeguards for the protection of their rights and freedoms.

33.State programmes have been implemented for the Year of the Healthy Child (2014), the Year of Attention and Care for the Older Generation (2015), the Year of Mother and Child Health (2016), the Year of Public Dialogue and Human Interests (2017) and the Year of Support for Active Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology (2018).

Coordination and monitoring

34.Regulations governing the work of interdepartmental commissions on juvenile affairs at three levels – national, regional and district – were approved by Presidential Decision No. PP-2833 of 14 March 2013. These commissions are now responsible for various tasks and functions related to child protection. For example:

•They are responsible for monitoring the living conditions and care of orphaned children and children deprived of parental care in educational establishments.

•They are responsible for preventing the neglect and abandonment of minors.

•They are entitled to request pardons for minors and apply to criminal courts for exemption from liability, imposition of a lighter sentence or a suspended sentence.

35.Representatives of trade unions, parents’ associations, guardianship councils of educational establishments, citizens’ self-governance bodies and other civil society institutions are involved in the work of the commissions.

36.The commissions also consider cases of minors who:

•Are under the age of 14 years and commit socially dangerous acts, with the exception of minors over the age of 13 years who commit intentional homicide with aggravating circumstances

•Are between the ages of 14 and 16 years and commit socially dangerous acts for which they will not face criminal prosecution

•Are between the ages of 14 and 18 years and commit acts containing elements of an offence, for which criminal proceedings are not initiated or are terminated

•Do not attend compulsory schooling in a secondary, specialized secondary or vocational education establishment (in general education schools, academic lycées or vocational colleges)

•Are exempt from liability under the law upon commission of a first, minor, offence

•Commit administrative offences

37.The commissions apply to the relevant government agencies to carry out interventions in respect of parents or persons in loco parentis who do not provide adequate care for children and to prosecute persons who facilitate juvenile delinquency or who incite minors to commit or involve minors in the commission of criminal offences or other anti-social acts.

Government budget and allocations

38.Uzbekistan successfully fulfilled its commitments in respect of the Millennium Development Goals. It has reduced poverty, increased enrolment in specialized vocational secondary education and achieved gender equality in general secondary education. Infant mortality and malnutrition have declined, and the maternal mortality rate has dropped. The Government Decision of 20 October 2018 on measures to achieve national sustainable development goals and targets for the period up to 2030 lays down the country’s main priorities, with a focus on targeted social support, increasing the quality of health care and education, protecting the environment and improving public services.

39.Positive structural changes, rapid economic growth and employment programmes have resulted in an increase of 113.5 per cent in per capita real aggregate income. Under the service sector development programme for 2016–2020, some 14,600 new facilities have been established in the service sector, 194 new model service packages have been introduced, 1,632 new mobile phone base stations have been set up, public transport services have been improved with the addition of 63 new passenger transportation links in the regions and 54 new hotels have been opened.

40.Between 2014 and 2017, the Government took steps in accordance with the Micronutrient Deficiency Prevention Act to ensure healthy nutrition and improve management of the food industry. A policy framework and set of measures to ensure healthy nutrition in the period 2015–2020 have been adopted with the aim of preventing and reducing the spread of diseases related to poor nutrition and improving the food served at childcare, educational and medical facilities. Food safety protection provisions and requirements applicable to the production, transport, storage and sale of foodstuffs and food products are laid down in the Public Health and Disease Control Act.

41.Pursuant to the Presidential Decision of 12 September 2017 on additional measures to support low-income population groups, targeted local social support programmes for the years 2017 and 2018 are being implemented for such groups, encompassing: subsidized microloans for the purchase of tools and equipment for self-employment; non-reimbursable grants to low-income families for the purchase or repair of housing and for the purchase of household appliances or the payment of medical services; an increase of budget allocations in 2017 and 2018 for support to low-income families with children under 14 years of age; and material assistance for such families, with a doubling of the number of beneficiaries.

42.In Uzbekistan, 2017 was declared the Year of Public Dialogue and Human Interests, as part of which a State programme was adopted and funded with 37.3 trillion sum and US$ 8.3 billion.

43.Under the State budget for 2018, 230.3 billion sum was allocated for public infrastructure works, 815 billion sum (almost three times more than in 2017) was earmarked for the fitting out of preschool education establishments, 559.1 billion sum was approved to equip 48 higher education establishments and 803.6 billion sum was appropriated for the reconstruction of 236 medical facilities.

Data collection

44.A system for the collection, analysis and compilation of data is being perfected in order to monitor the progress made in child rights in the context of nine strategic objectives, measured against 176 indicators relating to demographics, health, education, employment, social protection, public and political life, entrepreneurship and other factors.

45.A statistical compilation entitled Women and Men in Uzbekistan is regularly published. A special section, gender.stat.uz, has been created on the official website of the State Statistics Committee, www.stat.uz, and a system for training government officials and NGO staff on statistical collection and analysis has been put in place.

Cooperation with civil society

46.The development of social partnership between government agencies and NGOs and increased cooperation with international organizations, primarily UNICEF, are critical for implementation of the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto. The country has an established practice of cooperating with civil society institutions in the preparation of national reports on implementation of the Convention and the adoption of national plans of action to implement the Committee’s recommendations.

47.On 12 April 2018, the Public Oversight Act was adopted with the aim of regulating the organization and conduct of public oversight of government agencies. Under the Act, public oversight may be carried out by citizens, citizens’ self-governance bodies, NGOs and the media. It may also be performed by public councils, commissions and other civil society structures. Public oversight may take the form of: applications and queries; attendance at open participatory meetings of government agencies; public debate; public hearings; public monitoring; public appraisals; public opinion research; and reporting to citizens’ self-governance bodies by government officials.

48.Parliamentary hearings have been held to discuss the outcomes of monitoring of human rights and freedoms, including children’s rights. For example, the Legislative Chamber, the lower house of the parliament, heard the results of the review of the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Uzbekistan on implementation of the Convention and the initial reports on implementation of the two Optional Protocols thereto. Since parliamentary and public oversight of the executive branch was enshrined in the Constitution, civil society institutions, including children’s organizations, have been given a real opportunity to monitor children’s rights.

49.Children’s NGOs have stepped up their activities, facilitating the protection of various categories of children’s rights. Children and their enjoyment of their rights to education, health care and social protection and the related monitoring are a major focus for NGOs such as the National Association of Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations, the Association for the Support of Children and the Family, the Sog’lom Avlod Uchun (For a Healthy Generation) Foundation, the Sen Yolg’iz Emassan (You Are Not Alone) Foundation, the Youth Union, the National Council for Coordination of the Activities of Citizen’s Self-Governance Bodies, the Center of Civil Initiatives Support, the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan, the Oila (Family) Centre for Applied Research and the Vatanparvar Defence Auxiliary Association.

50.A new youth organization, the Youth Union of Uzbekistan, which has been tasked with increasing youth participation in all spheres of society, was established pursuant to the Presidential Decree of 5 July 2017 on measures to improve the effectiveness of public policy on youth and support for the Youth Union of Uzbekistan. To support the development of the youth movement, a youth policy service has been established in the Office of the President, a programme of comprehensive measures has been adopted, and national and local interdepartmental councils on youth issues have been established to monitor the situation in this area.

51.The Presidential Decree of 2 February 2018 on measures to radically improve support for women and strengthen the institution of the family set out the priority areas for the work of the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan and provided for the establishment of the Oila Centre for Applied Research and its local branches under the Cabinet of Ministers and of the Public Foundation for the Support of Women and the Family.

52.Istiqbolli Avlod, an NGO, and the Women’s Committee have actively provided assistance to victims of trafficking in persons. They offer information and advisory services to people travelling to other countries, assist in the return of victims of trafficking and take care of matters related to their rehabilitation.

Dissemination and training

53.Educational establishments at all levels of the national education system cover children’s rights, with a focus on studying international child rights instruments and teaching pupils the skills needed to protect their rights. The Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto are studied as part of the dissemination of knowledge on human rights and child rights.

54.Public access to legal information has been expanded and consistent measures are being taken to increase educational efforts targeted at various categories of citizen, first and foremost, young people, women and students at secondary schools, vocational colleges and lycées and in higher education. The training programmes for law enforcement officials, judicial officers, members of the Bar, notaries, legal service personnel, health-care staff and social workers now include materials on children’s rights, women’s rights, human rights in the justice system and the combating of domestic violence, torture, trafficking in persons and corruption.

55.The Dissemination of and Access to Legal Information Act of 7 September 2017 safeguards citizens’ right of access to information and specifies the agencies and organizations responsible for its dissemination. Pursuant to the Presidential Decision of 19 January 2017 on measures to radically improve legal services, responsibility for improving legal culture and legal literacy has been placed with the legal services of government agencies and organizations. A programme of comprehensive measures to develop the book publishing and distribution system and promote a culture of reading has been adopted and approved by a presidential decision of 13 September 2017.

56.Pursuant to a government decision of 14 October 2017 approving regulations on the enrolment of unemployed and economically inactive persons in regional vocational training centres, measures have been taken to improve human rights knowledge among socially vulnerable groups in difficult circumstances.

57.International organizations have supported the publication in Uzbek of, inter alia: a compilation of United Nations instruments on human rights education; the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto; compilations of ILO conventions; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; a compilation containing the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the general comments of the Committee against Torture; a compilation of international agreements and national legislation on corruption; guidance on international standards for the legal profession; guidance on judicial bodies in other countries; a compilation of documents of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; and a guide to implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. Five legal journals and some 40 newspapers covering questions of law are published with a circulation of many thousand copies.

58.In 2017 alone, with the aim of increasing citizens’ legal knowledge and awareness and fostering respect for children’s rights and freedoms among the public, the Ministry of Justice and its local offices held more than 5,000 awareness-raising events to explain the provisions of the Children’s Rights Safeguards Act, the Act on the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health, the Tutorship and Guardianship Act, the Trafficking in Persons Act, the text on measures to further enhance the system for the prevention of offending and the combating of crime, and other laws and regulations concerning children’s rights; these events included 793 media appearances, over 5,000 round tables, seminars and workshop-conferences, and 137 other events.

International assistance

59.Uzbekistan strongly supports international integration and encourages international cooperation, including with UNICEF. International cooperation on children’s rights is part of the practice of many government agencies and educational establishments in the country.

60.Uzbekistan ratified the ILO Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), on 25 October 2016 and has stepped up its efforts to prepare for the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. With the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the latter Convention was translated into Uzbek, presented to the parliament and widely disseminated among government agencies, NGOs and the general public. A bill on the rights of persons with disabilities has been drafted, taking into account the provisions of this Convention; a programme of comprehensive measures to further improve the system of support for persons with disabilities and strengthen safeguards for the protection of their rights and freedoms was adopted in 2017; on 1 December 2017, a presidential decree was issued on measures to radically improve the system of State support for persons with disabilities; an interdepartmental working group under the National Centre for Human Rights has been established to prepare for ratification; and an agreement on assistance with ratification has been concluded between United Nations agencies and the Government as part of the 2016−2020 United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

61.Uzbekistan has significantly increased its cooperation on human rights and freedoms with OHCHR, the international treaty bodies, United Nations special procedures and international NGOs: in 2016, a memorandum of understanding was concluded between the National Centre for Human Rights and the UNDP office in Uzbekistan; the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, visited Uzbekistan from 10 to 12 May 2017; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, visited in June 2017; the director of the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights Watch, Hugh Williamson, and the Human Rights Watch office director, Steve Sverdlow, visited Uzbekistan from 28 August to 11 September 2017; the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, visited from 2 to 12 October 2017; and a delegation from the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia, headed by Ryszard Komenda, visited the country from 5 to 8 September 2017. In 2018, the international coalition Cotton Campaign, Amnesty International and the International Partnership for Human Rights visited Uzbekistan.

62.The President of Uzbekistan addressed the seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly between 18 and 20 September 2017, putting forward initiatives aimed at ensuring stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region and proposing the adoption of a special General Assembly resolution on that question. He also proposed the drafting of a United Nations convention on the rights of young people and the adoption of a General Assembly resolution entitled “Enlightenment and religious tolerance”.

63.Cooperation with international organizations such as ILO, WHO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has been actively pursued. Cooperation with OSCE, the European Union, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) of the Council of Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, bodies under the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has become an important aspect of the country’s interactions in the field of human rights.

64.Law enforcement agencies have increased their cooperation with international organizations on children’s rights issues. A two-year workplan on child protection for 2016−2017 was implemented jointly with the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Procurator General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a number of other organizations acted as implementation partners.

65.Since 2007, the Ministry of Education has been cooperating with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) based on annual workplans. On 7 February 2017, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry and the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Asia.

Definition of the child (art. 1)

66.The provisions on the definition of the child in line with article 1 of the Convention are described in paragraphs 305 to 310 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports.

67.During the reporting period, work was conducted to enhance legislation in order to create conditions conducive to a healthy lifestyle and normal development for children. Proposals to amend the Family Code to introduce an equal minimum age of marriage for men and women have been put before the Legislative Chamber. The current Family Code sets out grounds on which the age of marriage for girls may be lowered by a maximum of one year; these include pregnancy, the birth of a child or recognition of the minor concerned as having full legal competence (emancipation). To establish liability for violations of the legislation on the age of marriage, article 1251 has been inserted in the Criminal Code and article 473 in the Administrative Liability Code.

68.Particular attention is paid to upholding labour rights: article 68 of the Labour Code has strengthened guarantees for the job placement of single parents and parents of large families with children under 14 years of age or children with disabilities, for graduates of vocational colleges and higher education establishments, including girls, and for victims of trafficking in persons. Article 84 of the Labour Code exempts women with children under the age of 3 and graduates of vocational colleges, lycées and higher education establishments from the need to serve probationary periods once they are hired. A government decision of 5 December 2017 lays down the procedure for interaction between citizens’ self-governance bodies and the Youth Union, the Women’s Committee and agencies dealing with labour and employment matters in relation to the public, young people and women.

69.The Administrative Liability Code includes provisions on the liability incurred by parents or persons in loco parentis if they prevent children, including girls, from receiving compulsory general or vocational education. Citizens’ self-governance bodies have established commissions for work with women and commissions for public oversight, and there are 8,700 advisers in the country providing legal, psychological and other assistance to women and helping them to find employment.

General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12)

Right to non-discrimination (art. 2)

70.Article 2 of the Convention is covered in detail in paragraphs 311 to 316 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports and paragraphs 343 to 356 of the common core document.

71.The Labour Code contains a number of restrictive provisions regarding minors, intended to protect their health and spiritual, physical and intellectual development. It is not permitted to use minors for work in harmful or dangerous conditions or for underground work, since this type of work may negatively affect their health. Given their purpose, these rules are not discriminatory.

Best interests of the child (art. 3)

72.The principle of ensuring the best interests of the child is enshrined in the Education Act, the Children’s Rights Safeguards Act, the Act on the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health, the Tutorship and Guardianship Act, the Trafficking in Persons Act, the Youth Policy Act and the text on measures to further enhance the system for the prevention of offending and the combating of crime.

73.During the reporting period, work continued to improve legislation by incorporating the principle of ensuring the best interests of the child. Amendments were made to the Family Code regarding the legal regulation of the adoption of foreign and stateless children by citizens of Uzbekistan and of tutorship and guardianship.

74.In 2017, a provision was added to the Family Code to allow the advance payment of maintenance for the period of the child’s minority, including through the transfer of immovable or movable property or other valuables. The minimum level of maintenance payable for each child is currently 75 per cent of the minimum wage.

75.The Children’s Rights Safeguards Act has been amended to include the right of children with disabilities to free medical and social care in public health facilities and to home care and to add safeguards for the rights of orphaned children and children who have been deprived of the care of their parents or other legal representatives and are under full State care.

76.The Act on Social Services for Older Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Other Vulnerable Groups is intended to ensure the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of socially vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities, orphaned children and children deprived of parental care.

77.The following decisions of the Plenum of the Supreme Court were adopted between 2014 and 2017 to improve the safeguards to protect children’s rights in judicial proceedings:

•Amendments to Decision No. 23 of 11 September 1998 on the application of legislation by the courts when settling disputes relating to the upbringing of children

•Amendments to Decision No. 21 of 15 September 2000 on judicial practice in cases involving offences committed by minors

•Decision No. 21 of 11 December 2013 on the application of legislation by the courts in adoption cases

•Decision No. 11 of 29 July 2016 on the application of legislation by the courts in cases involving applications for maintenance payments for minor children and adult children who are unable to work

78.Statistical data on civil cases heard with the participation of children (2014−2017):

Year	Number of cases	Of which:
Decisions handed down	Granted	Rejected	Terminated	Not considered
2014	3 615	2 794	2 458	336
2015	3 992	3 153	2 753	400
2016	4 475	3 555	3 106	449	480	440

Right to life, survival and development (art. 6)

79.Article 6 of the Convention is covered in detail in paragraphs 336 to 339 and 348 to 351 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports.

80.The national “Healthy Mother, Healthy Child” framework has helped ensure special care for women and children. As part of its implementation, a State programme to further improve reproductive health and protect maternal, child and adolescent health for the period 2014–2018 has been approved and 205.3 billion sum and US$ 206.4 million has been set aside to carry it out. Universal coverage has been achieved for medical check-ups for women of reproductive age, children and adolescents, to prevent children from being born with congenital diseases. The Government has approved a plan of action to prevent and treat helminth infection in children for the period 2015–2018 and earmarked 9,348,400,000 sum and US$ 30,000 for its implementation.

81.Enhanced medical check-ups have been performed on 6.5 million children in preschools and schools, vocational colleges and lycées for the early identification and successful treatment of illness. All children under the age of 2 years are vaccinated free of charge, which has led to the complete eradication of diseases such as diphtheria, poliomyelitis and tetanus.

82.In the past five years, the number of children born with developmental anomalies has decreased by 1.3 times. Among 6- to 15-year-olds, the incidence of viral acute respiratory infections has fallen by 34.4 per cent, pneumonia by 49.7 per cent, bronchitis by 32.8 per cent and scoliosis by 32.7 per cent. Demographic indicators have also improved – over the past 20 years, maternal and infant mortality in Uzbekistan has been reduced more than threefold and average life expectancy has increased by 7 years to 74 years of age.

83.Systematic efforts have been made to improve reproductive health. A State programme for early identification of congenital and hereditary diseases in children for the period 2018−2022, which provides for improved measures for the prevention and early diagnosis of congenital and hereditary diseases in fetuses and more effective treatment of hereditary diseases, is being implemented. A total of 90 million sum and US$ 30.84 million has been allocated for that purpose.

84.The health governance system is being improved; the International Health Regulations (2005), developed by WHO to respond to the international spread of disease, have been introduced. Pursuant to a presidential decision of 24 February 2016, a department has been established within the Ministry of Health to organize the provision of medical and social assistance to persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, war veterans, former members of the military and older persons living alone. In accordance with government decisions of 12 September 2017 and 18 September 2017, a new statute for the Ministry of Health has been approved and measures have been taken to improve the system of continuous training for medical personnel at State medical facilities by sending them to leading medical and scientific institutions in other countries and by bringing foreign specialists to Uzbekistan. Pursuant to a presidential decision of 20 June 2017, major improvements have been made to specialized medical assistance and access to medical services provided by specialized health centres has been significantly expanded for persons living in rural areas. A programme has been approved for the further development of specialized health care for 2017–2021.

Respect for the views of the child (art. 12)

85.The Family Code guarantees children’s right to express their views in family decision-making on any matter affecting their interests and to be heard in judicial proceedings. It also provides that, except where this is contrary to the child’s interests, the views of children of at least 10 years of age must be considered in relation to a change to the child’s name, the restoration of parental rights, adoption, placement with a guardian or the registration of adopters as a child’s parents in the birth register (CRC/C/UZB/3-4, paras. 390−396).

Civil rights and freedoms (arts. 7, 8 and 13–17)

Birth registration, name and nationality (art. 7) and preservation of identity (art. 8)

86.The recording of a child’s name upon public registration of his or her birth and the acquisition of nationality are regulated by the Family Code, the Children’s Rights Safeguards Act and the Citizenship Act, the provisions of which are compatible with the Convention (CRC/C/UZB/3-4, paras. 355−389).

87.Pursuant to article 332 of the Tax Code, individuals are exempt from payment of the government fee for registration of the birth of a child. In addition, Government Decision No. 119 of 25 April 2012 approving the forms of stamped certificates and the sum of stamp duty payable for their issuance sets the level of stamp duty collected for the issuance of a stamped certificate at 15 per cent of the minimum wage.

88.Birth registration is compulsory and must be performed at a civil registry office within one month. Expiry of the one-month deadline does not preclude birth registration.

89.More than 730,000 births were registered with the civil registry authorities in 2016 and approximately 600,000 in 2017. The number of these births registered after the deadline was 13,046 (1.78 per cent) in 2016 and 15,446 (2.88 per cent) in 2017. The main reasons for late registration are that the parents’ identity documents are missing or expired, the birth record has not been received from the medical facility on time, one of the parents is absent or the father does not consent to the acknowledgement of paternity.

90.In 2016, a presidential decree was issued granting citizenship to people who reside in Uzbekistan but for various reasons were outside the country when the Citizenship Act entered into force. Since then, 1,243 persons have been granted citizenship.

Freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive and impart information (art. 13)

91.In accordance with the law, children have the right to freedom of expression and the right to receive and impart information. To uphold the right to freedom of opinion and expression, amendments have been made to the new version of the Media Act, to the Information Technology Act and to the Protection of the Professional Activities of Journalists Act, and the Act on Transparency in the Work of State and Government Bodies has been adopted.

92.The media play a significant role in ensuring children’s right to freedom of information. The country has more than 1,500 media outlets; approximately 53 per cent of television channels and 85 per cent of radio stations are non-State-owned.

93.A data-processing centre and an interdepartmental data-transmission network are in operation. The network of national news websites is expanding and discussion programmes with public participation are broadcast on the television channels of the National Television and Radio Corporation.

94.A presidential decree on measures to introduce new management principles to the public education system provides that public educational establishments will have broadband Internet access (at least 10 MB/s, taking into account an annual increase in speed agreed on with stakeholders) by the end of 2018 for national and provincial level establishments, the end of 2019 for district-level establishments and the end of 2021 for all general education establishments.

95.Broadband Internet access for preschool establishments is envisaged under a presidential decree on measures to improve the management system for preschool education, which stipulates that Internet access should be provided to national and provincial-level preschool establishments by the end of 2018, to district-level establishments by 1 July 2019 and to all preschool establishments by 1 July 2020.

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (art. 14)

96.The Constitution safeguards the right of every person to freedom of religion. It is not permitted to recruit minors to religious organizations or teach them about religion against their will or the will of their parents or persons in loco parentis.

97.Children’s religious education takes place primarily within the family, but also in general education schools through subjects such as “Decorum”, “Patriotic feelings”, “The national idea of independence and foundations of morality” and “History of world religions”, which are focused on laying down general concepts about religious matters in children’s minds.

98.There are 2,242 religious organizations of 16 different faiths in Uzbekistan. More than 1,200 books on Islamic themes have been published. The newspapers Islom nuri and Slovo zhizni and the magazines Hidoyat and Vostok svyshe have circulations of 28,000, 1,500, 87,000 and 1,000, respectively. The Bible Society of Uzbekistan has translated the Bible into the Uzbek language. The Tashkent Eparchy has imported a total of 81,640 copies of religious books, under 318 titles. In 2017, it imported 332 titles, for a total of 10,053 copies.

99.There are 13 religious educational establishments in the country, of which 11 are Muslim and 2 are Christian. Four are higher education establishments: the Tashkent International Islamic Academy, the Mir-i-Arab Higher Madrasa in Bukhara, the Tashkent Orthodox Seminary and the Tashkent Protestant Seminary.

100.In 2017, presidential decrees were issued to establish the Imam Tirmidhi International Research Centre and the Imam Al-Bukhari International Research Centre, with the latter under the Cabinet of Ministers. The Islamic Civilization Centre and the Tashkent International Islamic Academy were also established. At its seventy-second session, the General Assembly adopted a resolution on enlightenment and religious tolerance initiated by the President of Uzbekistan.

101.In 2017, Uzbekistan was visited by the representatives of various international organizations and foreign religious leaders, including the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, and a delegation from the Commission on International Religious Freedom of the United States of America, headed by its Chair, Daniel Mark. Events were held to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, founder of the Baha’i religion, with participation by representatives of different faiths, and the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation, widely attended by representatives of all religious faiths. The parliament approved a road map for implementation of the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed.

Freedom of association and of peaceful assembly (art. 15)

102.In recent years, over 200 laws and regulations have been adopted to improve the effectiveness of NGO activities, and the institutional framework necessary to provide them with full support has been put in place. The country has over 9,200 NGOs, which play an important role in protecting the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and democratic values and achieving social, cultural and educational goals.

103.Legislation on NGOs has undergone significant liberalization in Uzbekistan, with the removal of artificial barriers hampering their work. Measures have been taken to promote interaction between the State and civil society institutions in tackling important problems. In 2014, the government fee for the official registration of NGOs was reduced fivefold and that for the registration of their branding by a factor of two and a half; the fee for the registration of their subsidiaries (local offices and branches) was abolished; and the fee for the registration of NGOs of persons with disabilities, veterans, women and children was halved. NGOs are exempt from over 10 categories of taxes and other mandatory payments, including corporation tax, property tax and value added tax.

104.Over the last 10 years, the Public Fund to Support Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations and Other Civil Society Institutions and the corresponding parliamentary commission have allocated over 65.0 billion sum to such bodies in the form of subsidies, grants and social service contracts. The funds awarded have tripled in the last four years.

105.The Social Partnership Act facilitates the creation of the legal framework and principles of interaction and cooperation between government bodies and civil society. In 2017, the Act was amended to provide for the participation of NGOs in a social partnership to combat corruption. There are plans to strengthen the legal safeguards applicable to public administration through the adoption of laws on public-private cooperation and the civil service.

106.The Public Oversight Act sets out the forms of public oversight, the mechanisms for their implementation and the rights and obligations of those subject to public oversight. The forms in which public oversight is carried out have been established.

107.To raise the profile and boost the importance of civil society institutions in the country’s all-round and forward-looking development, and to enhance their synergies with the State executive and administrative authorities, an advisory council for the development of civil society was established under the authority of the President of Uzbekistan. NGO hubs have been set up in the administrative centres of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the provinces and in Tashkent.

Protection of privacy and protection of image (art. 16)

108.The rights to privacy, family life and the inviolability of the home and correspondence and to protection of one’s honour and reputation against unlawful attacks are guaranteed by law (see CRC/C/UZB/3-4, paras. 503–513).

109.Articles 461 and 1411 have been added to the Administrative Liability Code and the Criminal Code, respectively, to establish the offence of violation of privacy, which covers the collection and dissemination, without a person’s consent, of information about his or her private life that constitutes a personal or family secret. The search, seizure or inspection of homes or other indoor or outdoor spaces occupied by a person, the seizure of postal or cable correspondence and its confiscation at post offices, and the wiretapping of telephone or other communications are allowed only in the cases, and in accordance with the procedures, set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure. It is an offence to violate medical or commercial confidentiality or the confidentiality of written communication, notarial documents or other information that may cause moral or material harm to citizens.

110.With the consent of the legal entities or individuals concerned, agencies carrying out police work may use official or residential premises, means of transport and other property and make video or audio recordings, record films and take photographs that do not pose a risk to life or health. Without the consent of citizens, such an agency may not disclose information about their private lives that undermines their honour and dignity.

Access to information from a diversity of sources and protection from material harmful to a child’s well-being (art. 17)

111.The Children’s Rights Safeguards Act prohibits the dissemination of literature or the screening of films that depict cruelty or violence or impart information harmful to children. The Act of 8 September 2017 on the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health was adopted to protect children from negative information disseminated via the media, the Internet and other sources. The Act establishes the system and the powers of State authorities in this regard and mechanisms for the participation of civil society institutions in this work. The Act establishes an age rating system for content and the categories of information harmful to children. It is strictly prohibited to disseminate information that incites children to engage in life- and health-threatening activities or that may tempt them to use drugs, alcohol and tobacco products or to engage in gambling. It is prohibited to disseminate to children any information that denigrates family values or justifies any illegal acts, cruelty, physical or mental violence or other antisocial acts.

112.The ZiyoNET national public education information network was set up to make essential educational information and guidance available to children and young people.

113.Methodical interventions are carried out to ensure that content harmful to the well-being of young people, including the mentality of children, is swiftly identified. In 2017, monitoring of the country’s periodical publications led to the identification of 162 cases of the dissemination of information capable of having a negative impact on people’s social attitudes, particularly those of young people. Of these, 54 cases concerned the promotion of immoral behaviour, 65 cases concerned information with a negative psychological impact and 43 concerned the promotion of alcohol and tobacco products. The offending parties received 3 instructions, 21 warnings and 60 recommendations, and six employees were reprimanded.

114.Monitoring of national television and radio channels led to the identification of 41 cases of the dissemination of content harmful to children’s health, and 15 opinions were submitted to the authorized bodies so that the necessary measures could be taken against the national television and radio broadcasters. There were 34 identified cases of the promotion of immorality, 1 case of the promotion of cruelty and 6 of content encouraging the use of alcohol and tobacco products. On the basis of the opinions issued by the authorized bodies following these monitoring activities, 11 instructions, 5 recommendations and 7 warnings were issued to national television and radio broadcasters.

115.Monitoring of the Internet led to the identification of over 1,430 examples of harmful information or content. They included: 102 cases of pornographic content; 410 cases of extremist, terrorist or fundamentalist propaganda; 191 cases of content promoting a cult of cruelty and violence; 327 cases of content intended to undermine moral principles among young people; and 401 cases of negative and biased information.

116.A targeted exercise was carried out to monitor online content that incites children to commit acts of self-harm, including suicide. The online accounts of over 600 young people (who identified themselves as natives of Uzbekistan) aged 14–24 years were singled out as part of an investigation into so-called “death groups” on social networks (Blue Whale, A Silent House, Sea of Whales, etc.). Action was taken. Nearly all the online groups are now blocked, and efforts continue to be made to monitor and track the activities of similar groups.

117.The monitoring of websites with the .uz domain name led to the identification of 6,955 cases of the dissemination of content capable of harming children’s health. Specifically, there were 2,889 cases of the promotion of pornography, across 559 sites; 1,948 cases of the promotion of gambling, across 491 sites; 1,379 cases of the promotion of cruelty and violence (films and computer games), across 242 sites; 505 cases of the promotion of alcohol and tobacco, across 148 sites; 182 cases of the promotion of immoral lifestyles, across 69 sites; and 52 cases of the promotion of drugs and psychotropic substances, across 15 sites.

118.The monitoring of audiovisual output to identify content that encourages cruelty, violence or immorality or imparts information harmful to the mentality of minors led to the issuance of 77 opinions, including 32 expert opinions. There were 6,977 violations in total.

119.On the basis of these opinions, the authorized bodies seized 93,476 illegal CDs and DVDs worth 318.17 million sum as physical evidence. The Expert Commission on Information Technology and Mass Communication has drawn up lists of titles not recommended for import and distribution in the country. The lists include 34 computer games and 225 foreign films that contain scenes and stories capable of impairing the health of children.

Violence against children (arts. 19, 24 (3), 28 (2), 34, 37 (a) and 39)

Abuse and neglect (art. 19)

120.The prevention of attacks of various kinds on the personal safety, life and health of citizens has been a focus of sustained attention in Uzbekistan. In order to protect children and women, a bill on the prevention of domestic violence has been drafted and is currently undergoing broad public discussion. The Criminal Code has been supplemented with article 1301, on the preparation, import, distribution, advertising or exhibition of products that promote a cult of violence or cruelty; article 133, on the removal of human organs or tissues; and article 138, on forced and unlawful deprivation of liberty. In 2017, the Commission on Women and Youth was established under the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, the national parliament.

121.On 6 July 2017, the Interdepartmental Commission to Combat Crime and Prevent Offences approved a package of measures for the prevention of domestic violence over the period 2017–2018. The package provides for measures to study the causes and conditions that lead to domestic violence and to prevent and eradicate the phenomenon. All complaints lodged in connection with any form of domestic violence are registered and investigated by the internal affairs agencies in the prescribed manner. In cases in which, as a result of domestic violence, a person is caused minor bodily injuries without harm to health, a case file is opened for the purpose of instituting administrative proceedings against the offenders under article 52 of the Administrative Liability Code and the case is referred to the court in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.

122.On 27 June 2018, a policy outline on strengthening the institution of the family in Uzbekistan was approved by presidential decision so that comprehensive measures could be taken to strengthen the institution of family.

123.In accordance with the Presidential Decision of 2 July 2018 on measures to improve the system for social rehabilitation and habilitation and the prevention of domestic violence, approval was given to a programme of practical measures to improve the system in question.

124.Combating violence against children is covered as part of several subjects taught at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and in the curricula for criminal and civil court judges and lawyers at the Centre for the Further Training of Legal Specialists under the Ministry of Justice.

125.The in-service training system for the staff of the prevention service and internal affairs officers includes sessions on international instruments on the prevention of violence against women and children. The in-house newspaper of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Na postu/Postda (On Guard), regularly lists the contact telephone numbers of the Ministry, its specialized services and its local branches, which members of the public can call in connection with matters of domestic violence and protection for the rights of victims of violence. To keep the public informed about the outcome of work on these issues, the Ministry actively draws on the resources of the media, whether television, radio or the press. Examples include television programmes such as Reports from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Press Centre and Frequency 02 and the Ministry’s in-house publications such as the newspapers Na postu/Postda and Shchit/Qalqon (Shield).

126.In 2017, the staff of the prevention service of the country’s internal affairs agencies held a total of 37,958 meetings, talks and lectures (compared to 33,219 in 2016) on legal topics and issues relating to the prevention of offending by minors and young people, the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of those groups, and human rights, including 9,859 such events with members of the public in their local mahallas (7,733 in 2016), 279 with university students (249 in 2016), 8,467 with students of academic lycées and vocational colleges (6,800 in 2016) and 19,353 with schoolchildren (18,437 in 2016).

Measures to prohibit and eliminate all harmful practices, including early and forced marriage (art. 24 (3))

127.In accordance with articles 14 and 15 of the Family Code, marriage is entered into voluntarily by persons who have reached marriageable age (18 years for men and 17 years for women). The intending spouses must wait one month from the date of application, which gives them time to reflect on this important decision (Family Code, art. 13).

128.Article 47-3 of the Administrative Liability Code establishes fines for the violation of marriageable age requirements, even if the marriage is not officially registered. The fine is set at 10 times the minimum wage for an adult spouse, 15 times for the parents and 20 times for the person who officiates at the religious ceremony. Forced marriage is a criminal offence (Criminal Code, art. 136).

129.Presidential Decree No. UP-5325 of 2 February 2018 on measures to radically improve efforts to support women and strengthen the institution of the family approved a policy outline on strengthening the institution of the family in Uzbekistan and a road map for its implementation over the period 2018–2019, so that comprehensive measures could be taken to strengthen the institution of the family and ensure that government bodies, civil society institutions and citizens cooperate closely and participate actively in this process.

Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (art. 34)

130.The Children’s Rights Safeguards Act establishes safeguards to protect children from all forms of exploitation; physical, psychological or sexual violence; torture and other forms of cruel, ill- or degrading treatment; sexual harassment; involvement in criminal activities; and so forth.

131.Between 2014 and 2017, the law enforcement agencies instituted criminal proceedings in 54 cases involving the sexual exploitation of children or sexual abuse. Number of recorded cases of indecent assault on a person aged under 16 years over the period 2014–2017:

Year	2014	2015	2016	2017 (first 11 months)
Number of crimes	75	67	60	68

132.Number of court cases involving torture or other forms of violence against children (Criminal Code, art. 110):

Year	2014	2015	2016	2017
Number of cases	67	34	52	30

The right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including corporal punishment (arts. 37 (a) and 28 (2))

133.The use of torture, psychological and physical pressure and other forms of violence is prohibited under the Presidential Decree of 30 November 2017 on additional measures to strengthen guarantees of the rights and freedoms of citizens in forensic investigations. Anyone who commits such criminal acts is held accountable, without exception. In criminal cases, the use of any unlawfully obtained information, in particular audio, video and physical evidence, is strictly prohibited. It is prohibited to use torture or deception, violate the right to defence or resort to other unlawful methods during the investigation.

134.In the first 10 months of 2017, the courts acquitted 191 persons, compared to only 7 persons over the preceding five years. Moreover, in the same year, 3,511 criminal cases were terminated by the pretrial investigation bodies on exculpatory or other grounds.

135.The law enforcement agencies have been informed about the inadmissibility as evidence in criminal cases of information obtained through significant violations of procedural law or using illegal methods.

136.The Decree prohibits the introduction of additional requirements that restrict the principle of open court hearings in criminal cases, other than in the circumstances explicitly provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure. It stipulates that the statements of victims, witnesses, suspects, accused persons and defendants, expert findings, physical evidence, audio and video recordings and other materials are inadmissible as evidence if they were obtained in violation of the rules set forth in procedural legislation.

137.To facilitate the prompt and impartial investigation of allegations of torture, it is now compulsory for the procuratorial authorities or courts to follow up complaints of illegal evidence gathering or recording methods. A medical evaluation must be ordered as part of this follow-up.

138.Mandatory video recording of the principal stages of legal proceedings was a major development for ensuring that the process of collecting and recording evidence is lawful and objective. Video surveillance equipment has been installed in remand centres, temporary holding facilities, special temporary detention centres and places of administrative detention.

139.Under penalties enforcement law, the disciplinary penalty of placement in a punishment cell may not be imposed on a convicted minor.

140.The Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs provides training for the staff of the Ministry’s Central Penal Correction Department and offers instruction on national legislation and international standards on human rights and rules for the treatment of prisoners.

141.Training seminars were held for the staff of penal institutions, including institutions for women and young offenders, on the basics of prison psychology and the psychological characteristics of convicted prisoners.

142.Over the period 2014–2017, the Ombudsman, representatives of the Office of the Procurator General, the administration (hokimiyat) of Tashkent Province, the Women’s Committee, the Youth Union, the Sog’lom Avlod Uchun Foundation and the UNICEF country office carried out visits to penal institutions to learn about the treatment of convicted prisoners and their conditions of detention and uncover cases of torture.

143.Over this period, there was not a single recorded case of the abuse or maltreatment of a person aged under 18 years occurring during their arrest and detention/imprisonment.

Measures to promote the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victims (art. 39)

144.As part of the State Programme for the Year of Public Dialogue and Human Interests (2017), integrated groups were set up at the local level (in each region, district or city, and mahalla) to study the social and economic situation of families and their moral and spiritual welfare. Subsequently, 60 per cent of the problems identified in families were resolved at the mahalla level and 40 per cent were followed up by district and regional administrations and incorporated into local development programmes.

145.The National Centre for the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Victims of Violence and the Prevention of Suicides was established in 2018 to provide timely and targeted assistance and protection to victims of violence and to detect and prevent suicidal behaviour at an early stage. It is envisaged that centres for the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of violence and the prevention of suicides will gradually be established under the authority of the local branches of the Women’s Committee.

146.In conjunction with representatives of the internal affairs agencies and the procuratorial system, the Ministry of Education has drawn up measures to be implemented in educational institutions to prevent violence against children in the family and elsewhere, and relevant workplans have been drawn up.

The availability of helplines for children

147.Under the Communications from Legal Entities and Individuals Act, citizens of Uzbekistan, stateless persons and foreign nationals have the right to submit communications to government bodies. Communications received via the telephone helplines operated by those bodies are processed, registered and considered as oral communications. All ministries and departments operate telephone helplines.

148.The telephone numbers of the helplines are broadcast on television and radio and can be found on the Internet and social networks. The helplines serve to strengthen public interaction with a given body. Communications to government bodies, including those submitted via the telephone helplines, may take the form of applications, proposals or complaints.

149.The Communications from Legal Entities and Individuals Act sets out the legal status and functions of the presidential help desks and presidential portal, which were established in accordance with the Presidential Decree of 28 December 2016 on measures to overhaul the system for processing communications from individuals and legal entities. The main functions of these services are to provide a platform for direct dialogue with the public, enable the system for the processing of complaints by government bodies to be monitored, and receive proposals for the institution of proceedings against persons guilty of violating the procedure for the consideration of communications.

Family environment and alternative care (arts. 5, 9–11, 18 (1) and (2), 20–21, 25 and 27 (4))

Family support and environment (art. 5)

150.Article 65 of the Family Code guarantees the right of the child to be brought up in a family. Presidential Decree No. UP-5325 of 2 February 2018 on measures to significantly improve efforts to support women and strengthen the institution of the family states that the main tasks of the Oila Centre for Applied Research and its local branches are:

•To pursue a unified government policy on strengthening the institution of the family in order to give effect to the concept of healthy families as key to a healthy society

•To carry out fundamental, applied and innovative research on the development of the modern family and intra-family and interpersonal relations and, on that basis, to formulate and implement proposals for strengthening the institution of the family, preparing young people for family life and preventing family disintegration

151.In 2017, civil registry offices recorded 306,000 marriages. The marriage rate was 9.4 per 1,000 population. Since 2016, the number of recorded marriages had increased in the Provinces of Surkhan-Darya (by 26.6 per cent), Djizak and Namangan (by 15.9 per cent), Samarkand (by 12.3 per cent) and Kashkadarya (by 11.2 per cent). Of the women who married in 2017, 21.6 per cent were aged under 20 years, 70.2 per cent 20–29 years and 8.2 per cent 30 years or over. Of the men, 0.9 per cent were aged under 20 years, 83.5 per cent 20–29 years and 15.6 per cent 30 years or over.

152.In 2017, civil registry offices recorded 31,900 divorces. The divorce rate was 1 per 1,000 population. Since 2016, the number of recorded divorces had increased in the Provinces of Surkhan-Darya (by 28.6 per cent), Djizak and Syr-Daria (by 22.2 per cent), Samarkand (by 21.2 per cent) and Namangan (by 19 per cent) and in the Republic of Karakalpakstan (by 18.2 per cent).

Parental responsibility and assistance to parents (art. 18 (1) and (2))

153.Parents are responsible for their children’s upbringing and development (Family Code, art. 73). Under Uzbek law, the failure by parents or persons in loco parentis to fulfil their duties regarding the upbringing and education of minor children constitutes an administrative offence. In January 2018, article 47 of the Administrative Liability Code was amended to provide for more stringent penalties for parents or persons in loco parentis who knowingly allow a child to play truant on a first or subsequent occasion. Parents or persons in loco parentis who hinder children from receiving compulsory general secondary, specialized secondary or vocational education receive a fine of 5 to 10 times the minimum wage for a first offence or, for a subsequent offence, a fine of 10 to 20 times the minimum wage or rigorous detention for up to 15 days. The purpose of introducing more stringent penalties was to prevent child neglect and juvenile delinquency and to strengthen the accountability of parents and persons in loco parentis who fail to fulfil their duties regarding the upbringing and education of minor children.

154.Between 2014 and 2016, approximately 50,000 parents and persons in loco parentis were fined for failing to fulfil their duties regarding the upbringing and education of minors. Over the same period, 33,000 minors committed various administrative offences. However, although parents who fail to fulfil their duties regarding the upbringing of children are committing an offence under Uzbek law, there has been an increase in the number of cases of non-compliance with statutory requirements in this area. In 2017, checks revealed over 174,000 cases of non-attendance by students at vocational colleges and academic lycées. In 2016, the figure was approximately 80,000.

155.Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. UP-3878 of 18 May 2007 on additional measures for the material and moral support of young families, the necessary conditions have been created for young families to find employment and stable sources of income. In accordance with its provisions, young families receive comprehensive support for the acquisition or construction of housing and the furnishing of a home; practical assistance in solving social and economic problems; and high-quality educational, medical, legal, informational, advisory and other services, including those relating to health care and parenting. Through citizens’ self-governance bodies, additional financial assistance is provided to young people from low-income families, including for marriages and weddings.

Separation from parents (art. 9)

156.Matters relating to separation from parents are regulated by Uzbek law. Articles 79 and 80 of the Family Code set out the grounds on which parents, or one of them, may be deprived of parental rights.

157.Cases concerning deprivation of parental rights are settled through the courts following the submission of a petition by one of the parents or persons in loco parentis, the procurator or agencies or organizations tasked with protecting the rights of minor children (such as tutorship and guardianship authorities, commissions on juvenile affairs and institutions for orphaned children and children deprived of parental care), with the participation of the procurator and the tutorship and guardianship authority.

158.In accordance with paragraph 12 of Decision No. 23 of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of 11 September 1998 on the application of legislation by the courts when settling disputes relating to the upbringing of children, the respondent generally participates in the court hearing in cases concerning the deprivation of parental rights.

159.Statistics on the consideration of court cases concerning deprivation of parental rights (2014–2017):

Year	Number of cases, total	Of which:
Decisions rendered	Granted	Rejected	Terminated	Not considered
2014	1 864	1 564	1 338	226	70	2 301
2015	1 947	1 724	1 406	259	59	2 231
2016	1 838	1 581	1 273	308	69	188
2017	1 408	1 233	956	277	42	1 331

In the first nine months of 2018, 987 decisions were rendered in cases concerning deprivation of parental rights.

Family reunification (art. 10)

160.In Uzbekistan, the border exit and entry procedures, including for minors, are regulated by Presidential Decree No. UP-5156 of 16 August 2017 on fundamental measures to improve the border exit procedure for citizens of Uzbekistan, Government Decision No. 24 of 6 February 2014 on measures to improve the border exit procedure for citizens of Uzbekistan, Government Decision No. 519 of 30 December 2000 approving the regulations on the procedure for processing and issuing identity papers for citizens of Uzbekistan aged under 16 years and the government decision of 6 January 1995 approving the border exit procedure for citizens of Uzbekistan and the regulations on diplomatic passports issued by Uzbekistan.

161.In 2017, there were 157,100 arrivals and 177,700 departures. Net migration was 20,600 persons, which represents 5,600 fewer departures than in 2016.

162.Of the total number of persons arriving from abroad, 36.4 per cent were from Kazakhstan, 31 per cent from Russia, 18.1 per cent from Tajikistan, 3.3 per cent from Turkmenistan, 1.6 per cent from Kyrgyzstan and 9.6 per cent from other States.

163.Of the persons who left the country, 52.2 per cent went to Russia, 42 per cent to Kazakhstan, 0.5 per cent to Kyrgyzstan, 0.5 per cent to Tajikistan, 0.4 per cent to Ukraine and 4.4 per cent to other States.

164.The number of persons who arrived in Uzbekistan to take up permanent residence was 2,094 and the number who left to take up permanent residence abroad was 21,100.

Children deprived of a family environment (art. 20)

165.In accordance with article 150 of the Family Code, children deprived of parental care are placed in the care of a family (under an adoption, tutorship, guardianship or fostering arrangement). If no such arrangement is possible, they are placed in institutions for orphaned children and children deprived of parental care.

166.There are currently 14,151 children deprived of parental care who are under tutorship and 10,001 under guardianship, 33,946 who have been adopted and 604 who have been placed in foster families.

167.The Ministry of Education operates 19 Mehribonlik homes, 3 children’s communities and 1 family-type children’s home, in which 2,467 children deprived of parental care are being brought up. There are 202 children deprived of parental care living in three SOS Children’s Villages in Uzbekistan. Over the period 2014–2016, 7,995 children were adopted in total.

Year	Number of children adopted
2014	2 350
2015	2 816
2016	2 829

168.Children from low-income or large families and those with only one parent, whether their mother or their father, are admitted to Mehribonlik homes on a temporary basis, for up to one year, as a way of providing their families with social support. The decision as to whether the child should remain at the Mehribonlik home after this period is taken by the chief administrator (hokim) of the district or city in accordance with the findings of the tutorship and guardianship authority at the child’s place of residence.

169.In order to further reduce child abandonment, improve mechanisms of State support for bringing up orphaned children and children deprived of parental care, expand opportunities for the accelerated social adaptation of such children, improve the work of educational institutions and strengthen the role of the family in raising a physically healthy and spiritually advanced generation, a presidential decision was adopted to provide for:

•The gradual conversion of Mehribonlik homes into small-scale children’s communities and other alternative forms of social institution

•The development of a programme of measures to deinstitutionalize Mehribonlik homes over the period 2019–2023

•The installation of indoor and outdoor video surveillance cameras at Mehribonlik homes, children’s communities and children’s homes, with the possibility of storing the recordings in a special archive for at least one month

•An exemption for tutorship and guardianship authorities, Mehribonlik homes, children’s communities, children’s homes and other educational institutions for orphaned children and children without parental care from the obligation to pay the official fee and duties when processing either documents relating to care arrangements for orphaned children and children without parental care at State notary offices, State service centres, civil registry offices, internal affairs agencies and State medical and other facilities, or court applications regarding the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of orphaned children and children deprived of parental care

170.From 2020, projects to construct affordable apartment buildings in urban and rural areas will provide for the construction of apartments to be sold to orphaned children and children deprived of parental care through preferential mortgage lending.

171.There are plans to provide preferential mortgages for the acquisition of apartments and business loans for orphans and persons without parental care aged under 23 years. The mortgage down payment is provided by the Development Fund of the Youth Union.

Adoption (art. 21)

172.Article 21 of the Convention is covered in detail in paragraphs 668 to 685 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports.

173.Under Uzbek law, children may be adopted only through the courts. Only minor children may be adopted and only when the adoption is in their interests.

174.The law guarantees the secrecy of adoption. It is an offence under Uzbek law to violate the secrecy of an adoption arrangement against the will of the adoptive parent or the tutorship and guardianship authority.

175.In accordance with the Act approving the Consular Services Charter, consular offices must take measures to put in place a tutorship or guardianship arrangement for minor Uzbek citizens resident outside Uzbekistan who are deprived of parental care or have no or limited dispositive capacity and adult Uzbek citizens who are unable to independently exercise their rights and fulfil their obligations for health reasons.

176.If so requested, consular officials must provide Uzbek citizens permanently resident in their consular district, foreign nationals and stateless persons who wish to adopt a minor Uzbek citizen resident in Uzbekistan with information about the judicial adoption procedure established in Uzbek law.

177.Consular officials who discover that a minor Uzbek citizen in their consular district is deprived of parental care must bring the matter to the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assist in the establishment of a tutorship or guardianship arrangement for the citizen in question and take measures to protect his or her property and personal non-property rights.

Periodic review of placement (art. 25)

178.In accordance with article 200 of the Family Code, tutorship and guardianship authorities monitor the living conditions and care of children in foster families.

179.Under the Tutorship and Guardianship Act, the tutorship and guardianship authority at a ward’s place of residence or the place of residence of the tutor or guardian monitors the fulfilment by the tutor or the guardian of his or her duties. Wards have the right to submit complaints regarding acts or omissions by their tutor or guardian to the relevant tutorship and guardianship authority or to the courts.

180.Persons who become aware of a direct threat to a ward’s life or health or a violation of his or her rights, freedoms and legitimate interests must report the matter to the tutorship and guardianship authority at the place where the ward is physically located or to the law enforcement agencies. Upon receipt of such reports, tutorship and guardianship authorities and law enforcement agencies must take the measures necessary to protect the ward’s rights, freedoms and legitimate interests.

181.By 10 January each year, the tutor or guardian must submit a report on the fulfilment of his or her duties to the tutorship and guardianship authority. The report by the tutor or guardian contains information on the ward’s property and the measures taken to ensure his or her upbringing, education and health care and to protect his or her rights and interests.

182.The tutor or guardian must submit the report on the fulfilment of his or her duties to the tutorship and guardianship authorities in accordance with the procedure established by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Recovery of maintenance for the child (art. 27 (4))

183.The recovery of child maintenance is covered in detail in paragraphs 611 to 618 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports.

184.In accordance with the amendments introduced to the Criminal Code, the Labour Code, the Family Code and the Act on the Enforcement of Judicial and Other Decisions under Act No. RU-459 of 9 January 2018, a new procedure for the payment of maintenance for minor children was introduced: maintenance may be paid in advance, to cover the entire period until the child reaches the age of majority (i.e. 18 years). Immovable or movable property and other valuables may also be used as security against maintenance obligations through the conclusion of a pledge agreement.

185.On 6 October 2018, the Government of Uzbekistan approved the regulations on the procedure for the advance payment of maintenance and the conclusion of pledge agreements to secure maintenance obligations.

186.It is an offence to evade the payment of child maintenance, namely, to fail to pay, for a total period in excess of two months, amounts payable pursuant to a court decision or order for the maintenance of a minor or person unable to work who requires financial assistance, where an administrative penalty has previously been imposed for the same act. In addition, a person who has fully discharged his or her child maintenance obligations has the right to be released from liability.

Illicit transfer and non-return (art. 11)

187.The Implementing Protocol to the Agreement on Cooperation among the States Members of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the Return of Minors to Their States of Permanent Residence was approved by Presidential Decision No. PP-2518 of 11 April 2016.

188.Where it is established that a minor placed in a specialized institution is wanted by another State for the purpose of criminal proceedings or the enforcement of a sentence, he or she may be extradited to that State on the grounds and under the procedure established by international treaties.

189.Transport costs are reimbursed by the minor’s State of permanent residence within 30 days from the date of submission of the relevant financial documentation.

Abuse and neglect (art. 19), including physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration (art. 39)

190.The law guarantees the protection of children from all forms of mental or psychological violence, ill-treatment and exploitation, including sexual abuse, by parents, persons in loco parentis or any other person (CRC/C/UZB/3-4, paras. 686–703).

191.Presidential Decision No. PP-3827 of 2 July 2018 on measures to improve the system for social rehabilitation and habilitation and the prevention of domestic violence approved a programme of practical measures to improve the system in question.

192.The Office of the Procurator General strictly monitors compliance with the law in the family and domestic sphere and with the principle that all cases of domestic violence and invasion of privacy must be prosecuted.

193.Steps have been taken to ensure that victims of domestic violence have unconditional and unhindered access to justice and full protection under the law.

194.Law enforcement officials are trained to take effective action in situations of conflict and when they encounter domestic violence.

Disability, basic health and welfare (arts. 6, 18 (3), 23, 24, 26, 27 (1–3) and 33)

Children with disabilities (art. 23)

195.The legal safeguards for children with mental and physical impairments, including children with disabilities, are set out in paragraphs 734 to 775 of the combined third and fourth periodic reports.

196.Government policy for children with disabilities is geared towards enabling them to exercise economic, social, cultural, personal and political rights on an equal footing with others.

197.In accordance with a government decision on measures to improve the activities of the Muruvvat homes for children with disabilities and other medical and social facilities, day-care units have been set up in the homes to cater for children with disabilities who have pronounced or highly pronounced mental impairments and live in families. The main purpose of these units is to provide comprehensive medical and social assistance and to organize the education and upbringing of children with such disabilities who live in families.

198.Act No. RU-415 of 26 December 2016 on Social Services for Older Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Other Vulnerable Groups sets out the main areas of government policy in the sphere of social services, including the provision of assistance in establishing tutorship, guardianship or adoption arrangements and welcoming orphaned children and children deprived of parental care into foster families or residential institutions; preparing parents and persons in loco parentis for the arrival in the family of a child from a residential institution; and obtaining prosthetic and orthopaedic appliances and rehabilitation equipment.

199.Presidential Decision No. PP-2705 of 28 December 2016 on additional measures to further improve the system of State support for older persons and persons with disabilities sets out priorities for the further enhancement of the system of State support for older persons and persons with disabilities and approved a package of measures to further improve the system of State support for older persons and persons with disabilities over the period 2017–2020.

200.In accordance with Government Decision No. 455 of 3 July 2017 on measures to further strengthen social support for persons with disabilities and older persons living in Muruvvat and Sakhovat homes, guardianship councils were set up at the national and local levels to support the activities of these facilities, and an extrabudgetary fund was created under the Ministry of Health to support them.

201.Resources from the fund are used to develop and strengthen the physical infrastructure of the Muruvvat and Sakhovat homes and the system of social, medical and community services and to support persons with disabilities and older persons in other ways.

202.At some Muruvvat homes for children with disabilities, units have been set up for persons with disabilities aged 18 years or over who previously lived at such a home, where their mental and physical development and condition so allows.

203.In accordance with Presidential Order No. R-5006 of 1 August 2017 on measures to further improve the system of State support for persons with disabilities, a commission was established to draw up proposals for overhauling the system of State support for persons with disabilities.

204.On 1 December 2017, in the run-up to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the President of Uzbekistan signed Decree No. UP-5270 on measures to overhaul the system of State support for persons with disabilities. The Decree had been prepared on the basis of a study carried out by the aforementioned commission.

205.The Decree approved proposals for the drafting of a bill on the rights of persons with disabilities and for preparations towards ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The term “persons with disabilities” is now used instead of “invalid”.

206.The Decree sets out the main areas in which the system of State support for persons with disabilities is to be improved. These include:

•Preventing discrimination on the basis of disability

•Incorporating into national law generally accepted international norms and standards for upholding the rights of persons with disabilities

•Raising the level and quality of medical and social assistance for persons with disabilities

•Creating the conditions for strengthening interrelationships between persons with disabilities and their families, society and the State, providing a favourable environment for such persons and ensuring their unhindered access to urban passenger transport and social and other infrastructure

•Improving the inclusive education and job placement system for persons with disabilities and others

•The Decree provides for the establishment of a specialized body, which is responsible for the social protection of older persons, persons with disabilities and other socially vulnerable groups, under the authority of the Ministry of Health; a fund to support persons with disabilities has been set up at the Ministry of Health

207.The State Committee on Architecture and Construction and other departments have been instructed to take measures to strengthen their monitoring activities in the area of architecture and construction, with a focus on the design and construction stages, to ensure that facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities.

208.A programme of comprehensive measures to further improve the system of support for persons with disabilities and strengthen safeguards for the protection of their rights and freedoms has been approved by decree. It sets out 51 measures.

209.With regard to transport accessibility, there are plans to adapt urban passenger transport for use by persons with disabilities, which will include the introduction of ramps, special seating, audio announcements of stops and the route, and information displays. Work is to begin to fit traffic lights and pedestrian crossings with sound signals.

210.Since 1 March 2018, the acquisition of urban passenger transport vehicles that cannot accommodate persons with disabilities has been prohibited. In addition, cars produced in Uzbekistan will begin to be fitted with special equipment for use by persons with disabilities.

211.Media outlets have been instructed to ensure that information is accessible to persons with disabilities by providing subtitles or sign language interpretation on news programmes, television and videos and expanding the production of publications in special formats.

212.In order to improve literacy among persons with disabilities, special courses will be launched to teach Braille at general education schools in regional and district administrative centres.

213.Since the 2018/19 school year, a supplementary 2 per cent quota has been set for the admission of persons with disabilities to higher education establishments. To this end, a set of regulations on the procedure for admitting persons with disabilities to higher education establishments through supplementary quotas on the basis of a government grant was approved by government decision.

214.A list of additional statistical indicators to track the lives of persons with disabilities was approved pursuant to a government decision on improving the system for keeping statistical records on those persons, and a consolidated electronic register of persons with disabilities was created.

215.Government Decision No. 285 of 12 April 2018 approved the regulations on ensuring accessible and decent housing for women in difficult circumstances, including women with disabilities and low-income mothers bringing up one or more children alone and in need of better housing conditions, along with regulations on the procedure for providing such housing.

216.In order to provide medical and social assistance to children with disabilities, an in-depth medical examination, which includes testing for physical and other diseases, is carried out once a year. Depending on the outcome, children receive treatment in outpatient or inpatient facilities, in sanatoriums, at home or in rehabilitation centres.

217.Children with disabilities receive treatment, rehabilitation therapy, surgical intervention and medical rehabilitation in specialized children’s institutions.

218.The Government is taking measures to rehabilitate children with hearing loss and deafness. Over the period 2014–2016, as part of the State Programme on the Year of the Healthy Child, 300 cochlear implant operations were carried out to fit the most advanced implants, and a rehabilitation programme for children with severe hearing loss and deafness was developed in line with international standards and is successfully being implemented.

219.Efforts are being made to attract leading scientists and specialists from various countries (Russia, Germany, Korea, Turkey, etc.) to assist children with disabilities both in Uzbekistan and abroad.

220.In 2017, there were 670,866 persons with disabilities in Uzbekistan, of whom 100,827 (15.0 per cent) were children aged under 18 years. There were 45,134 girls aged under 18 years with disabilities, who accounted for 15.9 per cent of the total number of persons with disabilities who were female.

Number of children aged under 16 years with disabilities

	Data from the State Statistics Committee	Data from the State Statistics Committee (and HIV-positive persons aged under 18 years)	Data from the State Statistics Committee (and HIV-positive persons aged under 18 years)
Year	2014	2015	2016
	Total	Rural	Total	Rural	Total	Rural
Uzbekistan	79 238	55 359	81 530	58 791	84 339	59 421

221.The leading causes of disability are “general illness” (51.9 per cent) and “congenital disability” (42.5 per cent), with other causes accounting for 5.6 per cent of cases.

Disability by illness category in 2016

No.	Illness category	Quantity	As % of total
1	Infectious or parasitic diseases	3 796	4.48
2	Neoplasms	1 303	1.54
3	Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs	1 719	2.03
4	Endocrine diseases	2 267	2.68
5	Diseases of the nervous system	23 940	28.26
6	Mental and behavioural disorders	11 150	13.16
7	Diseases of the eye and adnexa	7 079	8.36
8	Diseases of the ear and mastoid process	5 012	5.92
9	Diseases of the circulatory system	922	1.09
10	Diseases of the respiratory system	1 330	1.57
11	Diseases of the digestive system	1 034	1.18
12	Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue	546	0.64
13	Diseases of the musculoskeletal system	8 299	9.80
14	Diseases of the genitourinary system	1 689	1.99
15	Congenital anomalies	12 966	15.31
16	Injury and poisoning	1 549	1.83
17	Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period	101	0.12

Health and health services (art. 24)

Survival and development (art. 6 (2))

222.Full access is ensured to obstetric care, including emergency care, and virtually all births (more than 99 per cent) are attended by qualified specialists.

223.All maternity facilities provide an enabling environment for mothers together with their newborns and ensure that parents receive all necessary information about their children’s developmental needs, including breastfeeding. Each maternal death is audited on a facility-by-facility basis, and each child death is also reviewed.

224.Since 1 July 2014, Uzbekistan has transitioned fully to the criteria recommended by WHO for recording live births and stillbirths, i.e. all newborns (fetuses) with a birth weight of at least 500 g and a length of 25 cm or more and with at least one sign of life – pulsation of the umbilical cord, involuntary muscular contraction or breathing – are registered in the country.

Early neonatal mortality per 1,000 live births

	2014	2015
Republic of Uzbekistan	5.4	6 . 2

Late neonatal mortality per 1,000 live births

	2014	2015
Republic of Uzbekistan	1 . 6	1 . 7

Perinatal mortality per 1,000 live births and stillbirths

	2014	2015
Republic of Uzbekistan	5 . 4	6 . 2

Infant mortality per 1,000 live births

	2014	2015	2016
Republic of Uzbekistan	10 . 8	11 . 4	10 . 5

Mortality rate among children aged 0–4 years per 1,000 live births

	2014	2015
Republic of Uzbekistan	13 . 9	15 . 1

Mortality by cause among children aged under 1 year per 1,000 live births in 2015

Infectious and parasitic diseases	Neoplasms	Diseases of the nervous system	Diseases of the cardiovascular system	Diseases of the respiratory system	Diseases of the digestive system	Congenital anomalies	Injury and poisoning
0.39	0.031	0.15	2.41	0.044	1.01	0.18	6.77

Mortality by cause among children aged 0–17 years per 1,000 live births in 2015

Infectious and parasitic diseases	Neoplasms	Diseases of the nervous system	Diseases of the cardiovascular system	Diseases of the respiratory system	Diseases of the digestive system	Congenital anomalies	Injury and poisoning	Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
0.05	0.04	0.07	0.04	0.31	0.01	0.09	0.17	0.17

Health and health services (art. 24)

225.Children’s rights to health care and quality health services are guaranteed in law (CRC/C/UZB/3-4, paras. 776–794).

226.The priorities of government policy on protecting children’s health and reducing morbidity, disability and mortality among children are as follows:

•Ensuring equal access to quality health services, at all levels of the health-care system, to improve reproductive health and protect maternal, child and adolescent health

•Developing and strengthening the physical infrastructure of perinatal facilities, screening centres, and obstetric and paediatric institutions

•Improving the quality of medical and social rehabilitation for children with developmental difficulties

•Building the capacity of medical personnel in maternal and child protection at all levels of health care, particularly in primary health-care facilities

•Developing modern infrastructure for the provision of qualified, specialized and high-tech health care to mothers, children and adolescents

•Actively involving the public in activities and programmes to improve maternal, newborn, child and adolescent care, promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and create healthy and well-functioning families

•Refining the health information system and ensuring coordination, monitoring and evaluation of inter-agency cooperation and activities in carrying out measures to improve reproductive health and protect maternal, child and adolescent health

227.Particular attention is paid to the implementation of international standards and WHO and UNICEF recommendations in the areas of maternal and child health addressing: home care services for families, mothers and children; antenatal care; effective perinatal care; child immunization; resuscitation of and fundamentals of care for newborns; and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

228.The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education jointly carry out regular preventive work and efforts to enhance health services for preschool- and school-age children and to reduce morbidity and disability among those groups.

229.Sick children identified on the basis of annual in-depth medical examinations in educational establishments are registered with outpatient clinics at their place of residence and an individual health-improvement plan is drawn up for each of them. If a child shows signs of bodily injury, the doctor informs the school administration and the child is referred to an appropriate medical facility for treatment and further monitoring.

230.In 2017–2018, pursuant to a presidential decree on improving the work of primary health care facilities, 793 rural family health clinics were established in rural medical centres; teams consisting of five subspecialists, including paediatricians and obstetrician-gynaecologists, have begun work in the clinics. In addition, social pharmacies have been set up in rural medical centres and family health clinics. Ambulance substations have been organized at 441 rural medical centres.

231.The availability of primary health care to the public has been increased by extending the working hours of primary health care facilities and by establishing 24-hour emergency medical units. Measures have been taken to strengthen home care services, especially for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children.

232.The accessibility and responsiveness of primary, emergency, urgent and specialized medical care are being increased by bringing medical care closer to the population served in rural areas.

233.At outpatient clinics (rural medical centres, urban and family health clinics, etc.), the growth and development of children are monitored and assessed, in accordance with the recommendations for their age group, using growth curves and standards recommended by WHO.

Reproductive health rights of adolescents and measures to promote a healthy lifestyle

234.An area of focus in achieving the “Healthy Mother – Healthy Child” goal is the improvement of nutrition and prevention of micronutrient deficiency. An integrated approach is being taken to addressing nutritional problems in order to achieve the following goals: in the short term, maximizing the number of infants who are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life and receive micronutrient supplementation (vitamin A, iron); in the medium term, fortifying flour and iodizing salt; and, in the long term, changing eating habits among the population in favour of a healthy and balanced diet. The overall objective is to improve diets and prevent micronutrient deficiencies, particularly among mothers and children.

235.A national survey on nutrition has been carried out, with assistance from UNICEF, within the framework of the State’s programmes for the Year of Mother and Child Health (2016), Presidential Decision No. PP-2221 of 1 August 2014 on the State Programme to Further Improve Reproductive Health and Protect Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health in Uzbekistan for 2014–2018, Presidential Decision No. PP-2650 of 2 November 2016 on measures to further enhance the maternal and child health system in Uzbekistan for 2016–2020, and the programme of cooperation between the Government of Uzbekistan and UNICEF for 2016–2020.

236.Special measures are being taken to protect the health of children living in the environmental disaster zone (Karakalpakstan). The necessary high-tech, specialized medical assistance is being provided in all specialized health centres, clinics of medical institutes and sanatoriums for the treatment and rehabilitation of children living in the environmental disaster zone in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm Province.

237.Highly qualified specialists and academics have been assigned to medical institutions in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm Province under patronage arrangements to provide comprehensive advisory assistance with diagnosis and treatment and theoretical and practical help in the training of scientific and teaching personnel for those regions.

238.Every year, approximately 3,000 children from the Aral Sea zone spend the summer resting and recuperating at out-of-town and school camps in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm Province and in camps in Tashkent Province.

239.Given the environmental situation, particular attention is paid to improving the children’s diet. Pursuant to Presidential Decision No. PP-2650 of 2 November 2016 on measures to further enhance the maternal and child health system in Uzbekistan for 2016–2020, it is planned to introduce home fortification by enriching the diet of children under 5 years of age living in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm Province with Sprinkles multi-vitamin powders.

240.The country’s education system comprises 9,680 general education schools with around 5 million pupils. There are 6,724 schools in rural areas, or 69.5 per cent of the total, and 2,956 schools in urban areas, 30.5 per cent of all schools. There are indoor sports halls at 85 per cent of general education schools; all general education schools have equipped outdoor sports grounds for physical education and sport; 83,214 sports clubs organized in schools (counting 1,808,124 children) and 3,202 organized in children’s and youth sport schools (counting 307,214 children) offer sporting activities free of charge.

241.Teaching and medical personnel have developed courses entitled “Health lessons”, for grades 1–4, and “Principles for a healthy generation”, for grades 5–9. These courses have been incorporated into the integrated curriculum and are recommended as part of the educational process in general education schools. In those schools, the courses have been introduced within such subjects as “The world around us”, “Natural history”, “Physical education” and “Reading” in grades 1–4.

242.Ministry of Education Order No. 19 of 26 January 2015 on measures to prevent and treat helminth infection in educational establishments was adopted pursuant to Government Decision No. 9 of 23 January 2015 on measures to prevent and treat helminth infection in children for 2015–2018. In 2016, more than 100 activities on the prevention and treatment of helminth infection in educational establishments were carried out jointly with bodies of the Health Inspection Service.

243.The Government has adopted Decision No. 132 of 2 May 2016 on measures to improve the establishment of healthy diets in secondary schools and specialized secondary and vocational training institutions.

Protection against the illicit use of psychotropic substances (art. 33)

244.Pursuant to the Prevention of Child Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency Act, the health authorities and health-care institutions, within their terms of reference:

•Organize the dissemination of health and hygiene information among minors, their parents or persons in loco parentis, as well as the promotion of healthy lifestyles

•Ensure the development and implementation of measures to prevent alcoholism, smoking, drug and substance abuse among minors and related behavioural disorders

•Provide round-the-clock reception facilities and care for lost, abandoned and other children under the age of 3 years who have been deprived of parental care

•Offer advice to bodies and institutions involved in the prevention of child neglect and juvenile delinquency, as well as to parents or persons in loco parentis

•Provide round-the-clock reception facilities and medical assistance for minors who are under the influence of alcohol or narcotic drugs or psychotropic or other substances that affect their intellectual functioning or will

•Provide specialized diagnostic, therapeutic and remedial assistance to minors with developmental or behavioural problems

•Prepare, under the established procedure, findings on the state of health of minors referred to specialized educational and training institutions

•Organize the identification, registration, examination and medical and social rehabilitation of minors who systematically consume alcoholic beverages, narcotic drugs or psychotropic or other substances that affect their intellectual functioning or will

•Organize the identification of sources of sexually transmitted diseases and the examination and treatment of minors suffering from such diseases

Social services and standard of living

Social security and childcare services and facilities (arts. 26 and 18 (3))

245.The State ensures support for families bringing up children and for children who are orphans, children deprived of parental care, children with disabilities and children in difficult situations.

246.In recent years, large-scale work has been carried out to prevent child abandonment, promote a responsible attitude among the public and young people to the founding of healthy families, and foster a spiritual and moral attitude where family values are concerned. As a result, the number of alternative care institutions and the number of orphaned children and children without parental care being raised in such institutions has decreased significantly.

247.The following arrangements are in place with regard to social support and social security for children:

•Wages, pensions and social benefits are raised twice each year in order to improve the general standard of living and strengthen social protection for children.

•There is a system, established in law, for the payment of a pension to children upon the loss of a breadwinner and of allowances to children with disabilities.

•Children who are orphaned or deprived of parental care are provided with accommodation in municipal housing stock set aside for the purpose or in temporarily unused, State-owned hostels, houses and empty apartments in multi-unit buildings.

•Childcare allowances are granted to persons who take care of a child under the age of 2 years, with these allowances paid by citizens’ self-governance bodies.

•The State provides additional support to lone parents and parents of large families who have children aged up to 14 years or children with disabilities and are unemployed, through job creation initiatives, special training programmes, free advice and help from labour bodies, as well as payment of unemployment benefits.

•Financial support and material and technical assistance are provided, with funding from the State budget, to children’s communities for children deprived of parental care and under full State care, family-type children’s homes, residential schools and children’s medical institutions.

248.The system of child benefits functions as follows:

•On the birth of a child, parents receive a lump sum equivalent to twice the minimum wage.

•Financial assistance has been introduced for low-income families, along with allowances for families with children under 2 years of age and lump-sum payments for families with children under 14 years of age.

•Family allowances and financial assistance are paid for a period of 6 months and childcare allowances for 12 months, but not beyond the month in which the child reaches the age of 2 years.

•Allowances for each child placed in foster care have been increased by a factor of 1.33, to 820,000 sum, and will subsequently increase by not less than the rate of inflation.

249.The country has a network of institutions for orphaned children and children deprived of parental care, including children’s homes, Mehribonlik homes, children’s communities, family-type children’s homes and SOS Children’s Villages. For the older generation there are the Sahovat and Muruvvat homes, sections of which are set aside for children with certain problems.

Number of residential institutions in 2017

Type of institution	Number of institutions	Number of residents
Children ’ s homes	13	657
Mehribonlik homes	19	2 232
Children ’ s communities	3	296
Family-type children ’ s homes	1	10
SOS Children ’ s Villages	3	240
Sahovat homes for older persons and persons with disabilities	6	672
Muruvvat homes for children and young people with psychiatric disorders	26	7 317
Muruvvat homes for young people with psychiatric disorders	20	5 549
Muruvvat homes for children with psychiatric disorders	6	1 768

250.In 2017, 9,223 children were left without parental care.

Placement of children aged up to 18 years who were deprived of parental care in 2017

Total number of persons
Number of children identified and registered in 2017	9 223
Number of children placed in 2017	9 223
Including:
In children ’ s homes	406
In Mehribonlik homes	492
In children ’ s communities	61
In SOS Children ’ s Villages	11
In family-type children ’ s homes	5
Under tutorship	3 645
Under guardianship	1 319
In foster families	61
In adoptive families	3 202
In vocational colleges, higher education establishments and other educational and training institutions, under full State care	21

251.In 2017, Samarkand and Tashkent Provinces had the most children identified as being without parental care, with 1,172 and 979, respectively. Djizak and Navoi Provinces had the fewest such children, with 187 and 247, respectively.

252.Psychologist positions have been established in Mehribonlik homes, children’s communities and children’s homes. Separate premises are set aside in Mehribonlik homes and children’s communities, to which the residents have free access, with the necessary means of communication and 24-hour helplines.

253.The law provides for the installation of indoor and outdoor video surveillance cameras at Mehribonlik homes, children’s communities and children’s homes, with the possibility of storing the recordings in a special archive for at least one month.

254.Tutorship and guardianship authorities, Mehribonlik homes, children’s communities, children’s homes and other educational institutions for orphaned children and children deprived of parental care are exempt from payment of State duties and fees.

Standard of living (art. 27 (1–3))

255.The protection of children’s rights and interests cannot be seen separately from the protection of the families raising them, as a child’s standard of living depends on the financial well-being of his or her family.

256.The State pursues consistent policies to improve the standard of living, regulates the level of social protection afforded citizens through legislative acts, determines the level of the subsistence minimum and, taking that into account, establishes the amounts of the minimum wage, social payments, insurance contributions and the various types of social assistance (entitlements), and coordinates the activities of the social protection services.

257.Social protection is ensured through the following types of social assistance: pensions; benefits; entitlements, advantages and services; and lump-sum (as opposed to regular) financial assistance.

Number of recipients by type of pension or benefit, thousands of persons

	2010	2015	2017
Number of recipients of pensions and social benefits:	3 265.8	3 203.9	3 488.9
Old-age pensions (including retirement pensions)	2 145.3	2 338.2	2 568.3
Disability pensions	535.3	367.7	368.5
Loss-of-breadwinner pensions	352.6	241.9	247.7
Social benefits	232.6	256.2	304.4

258.The State Programme for the Year of Mother and Child Health addresses priorities for the all-round development of the rising generation, namely:

•Further refining the legislation on the protection of the family, maternity and childhood, the protection of the interests of women and the promotion of their role in raising healthy children, and the strengthening of the institution of the family as the foundation for a strong, stable and flourishing State

•Pursuing the sustained efforts to establish the necessary living conditions and social and health services for populations living in remote and inaccessible rural districts

•Increasing the population’s health literacy, improving the psychological and physiological state of pregnant women, enhancing care for new mothers and their children, and ensuring the quality and energy content of their diets

•Promoting physical fitness and sport broadly among youth and ensuring that sport is practised regularly by young people, particularly girls in rural areas

•Establishing a healthy spiritual environment in families as the key requirement for the further strengthening of peace, tranquillity and well-being in the country

•Ensuring that girls – the mothers of the future – are physically healthy and intellectually well developed and acquire modern knowledge and professional skills

•Further developing the network of preschool education establishments and increasing significantly children’s preparedness for school by providing high-quality initial education

•Taking measures to place graduates of vocational colleges, girls first and foremost, in jobs, further expand the granting of preferential credit to young people seeking to set up their own businesses, provide mortgages to young people for the purchase and construction of housing and consumer credit for the acquisition of durable consumer goods

259.Levels of wages, pensions, bursaries and social benefits have been significantly increased compared with previous years in order to improve the welfare of the population. In particular, for the first time in the past 10 years salaries for teachers have been increased by almost 50 per cent and the population’s real incomes have grown by 12 per cent.

260.Under programmes to promote family entrepreneurship and opportunities for youth, some 2 trillion sum has been allocated for 2,605 local-level business projects. As a result of the allocation of 3 trillion sum under the “Obod qishloq” and “Obod mahalla” programmes, 416 villages have benefited from upgrading.

261.Special attention is given to supporting persons with disabilities who have lost their breadwinner and socially vulnerable and low-income families, in particular through the allocation of affordable housing. In the last year alone, 21,500 families were housed in affordable homes. Persons with disabilities were provided with almost 30,500 prosthetic and orthopaedic devices and items of rehabilitation equipment worth a total of 3.6 billion sum. Sixteen thousand persons with disabilities were treated in rehabilitation centres at a cost of almost 17 billion sum.

Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28, 29 and 31)

Education, including vocational training and guidance (art. 28)

262.During the reporting period, Uzbekistan made important strides in the development of the national education system; it has, moreover, one of the highest youth literacy rates in the world. The legislative framework governing education has been refined.

263.In the years since independence, the system for the education, upbringing and preparation of a harmoniously developed generation has become one of the main priorities of government policy. Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. UP-5313 of 25 January 2018 on measures to radically improve the general secondary, specialized secondary and vocational education systems, the education system has been reformed and, in the 2017/18 school year, a switch took place to an 11-grade system of compulsory general education.

264.The Decree establishes that, from the 2018/19 school year, compulsory general secondary and specialized secondary education will be delivered in general education schools, including specialized schools and residential schools for the arts and culture, specialized residential schools for prospective Olympic athletes and academic lycées, on the basis of a continuous 11-grade cycle. The Decree further states that, from the 2019/20 school year, pupils who have completed 11 grades of general education will be admitted to vocational colleges on a voluntary basis to receive appropriate training in a specialization (profession), lasting between six months and two years.

265.The Ministry of Preschool Education was established pursuant to Presidential Decree No. UP-5198 of 30 September 2017 on measures to enhance the administration of the preschool education system; the Ministry’s main tasks and activities relate to the establishment of conditions for the all-round intellectual, moral, aesthetic and physical development of preschool-age children, taking account of the leading foreign experience.

266.Measures are being taken to further enhance the preschool education system in the period 2017–2021, pursuant to a presidential decision of 29 December 2016. The physical infrastructure of 2,200 preschool education establishments is being strengthened. A total of 2.2 trillion sum is to be allocated to carry out these measures.

267.It is planned to construct new preschool education establishments, built to new designs. The new designs are advantageous in that they require less space, are energy-efficient, afford modern conditions for pupils and parents, and ensure convenient locations for playgrounds and shaded areas and the availability of a swimming pool.

268.Two different designs have been developed, for the construction of new preschools with 70 and 120 places, respectively. In densely populated areas, preschools with capacity for 120 pupils will be built.

269.Practically all school-age children attend general secondary education. At the same time, there remain various reasons for which a number of children drop out of school. Chief among them is childhood illness.

Indicators with regard to the development of the education system in Uzbekistan

Indicator	Unit of measurement	Quantity
Number of preschool establishments		7 464
Number of children in preschool establishments	Thousands of persons	916 368
Number of general education establishments		9 691
Number of pupils in general education establishments	Thousands of persons	5 821 861
Number of teachers in general education establishments	Thousands of persons	442 881
Number of Barkamol avlod centres		196
Number of visitors to the centres	Thousands of persons	130 304
Number of specialized schools and residential schools		86
Number of pupils	Thousands of persons	19 140

270.The proportion of children aged 3–6 years in preschool education has increased twofold since 2013, reaching 37.2 per cent.

Number of children in preschool establishments by region in 2017

	Number of persons (thousands)	Distribution by sex (percentage)
Females	Males	Females	Males
Republic of Uzbekistan	350 . 2	382 . 7	47 . 8	52 . 2
Republic of Karakalpakstan	25 . 0	25 . 5	49 . 4	50 . 6
Provinces :
Andizhan	27.5	30.9	47.1	52.9
Bukhara	19.2	20.9	47.9	52.1
Djizak	9.9	10.4	48.8	51.2
Kashkadarya	27.6	30.7	47.3	52.7
Navoi	11.9	12.9	48.0	52.0
Namangan	27.4	30.1	47.7	52.3
Samarkand	30.7	34.9	46.8	53.2
Surkhan-Darya	13.9	15.1	47.8	52.2
Syr-Daria	9.0	10.1	47.2	52.8
Tashkent	31.7	35.7	47.0	53.0
Fergana	40.2	44.9	47.2	52.8
Khorezm	16.4	17.2	48.8	51.2
City of Tashkent	59.8	63.3	48.6	51.4

Education on human rights and civic education

271.In the lower grades of general secondary education schools, legal education is imparted in accordance with the pupils’ age-specific characteristics. In the higher grades, the content of legal education becomes more complex, with examples taken from everyday life or involving the relationship between the State and the individual and the introduction of the themes of personal autonomy, responsibility and duties. Legal education also has a preventive purpose, namely, to avoid negative behaviour and offending among pupils.

272.The continuous development and enhancement of pupils’ legal literacy is incorporated into the study of a number of subjects: in the lower grades, into the subjects “ABCs of the Constitution”, “ABCs of ethics”, “Reading”, “The world around us” and “Natural history”; in the higher grades, into subjects such as “Voyage to the world of the Constitution”, “History”, “The feeling of the native land”, “Literature”, “Natural history”, “Botany”, “Biology” and “Geography”; and, in grades 8 and 9, into the courses “Foundations of the State and the law”, “Foundations of constitutional law” and “Foundations of spirituality and the concept of national independence”.

273.School libraries are supplied with materials, including sets of wall charts, on social and legal topics such as “Our basic law”, “Foundations of constitutional law”, “The concept of national independence”, “Rights for preschoolers” (a colouring book), “Our rights” (a supplementary teaching aid for the lower grades), “Young citizen’s passport”, “Rights and duties of minors”, “The Constitution – the foundation of society” (guidance for teachers) and “Your rights and duties under the Constitution” (leaflets and booklets for young citizens).

274.Steps are being taken to establish a national legal online portal, which will include a national legislation database and a system for accessing additional legal information (a legal dictionary, an e-platform for legal literature, an online forum for discussion of draft legislation, etc.), as well as a special legal portal for children.

275.Efforts are under way to further expand the scope of legal studies in general education schools and academic lycées by including the study of the Constitution and courses on “Human rights”, “Rights of the child” and “Street law”.

Cultural rights of children belonging to indigenous and minority groups (art. 30)

276.Education in State educational establishments is conducted in seven languages: Uzbek, Karakalpak, Russian, Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Turkmen. The national television and radio corporation of Uzbekistan broadcasts programmes in 12 languages. More than 20 television and radio programmes are broadcast in the languages of the peoples living in the country and in Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Korean, Tatar and Uighur, among others. Printed media are published in 14 languages: there are 502 titles appearing in Uzbek, 164 appearing in 2 or more languages, and 84 in 3 or 4 languages. There is a comprehensive system of primary, secondary, specialized secondary and higher education in the Karakalpak language, along with cultural institutions, and some 40 newspapers and 7 magazines are published in that language.

Number of schools by language of instruction
Uzbek	8 853
Karakalpak	366
Russian	862
Kazakh	370
Tajik	244
Kyrgyz	42
Turkmen	43
Number of pupils by language of instruction	5 821 861
Uzbek	4 981 511 (85 . 6 %)
Karakalpak	115 656 (2 %)
Russian	581 881 (10 %)
Kazakh	54 926 (1 %)
Tajik	69 385 (1 . 2 %)
Kyrgyz	7 859 (0 . 1 %)
Turkmen	10 643 (0 . 2 %)

277.National festivals devoted to inter-ethnic relations – “Uzbekistan our common home”, “Our strength lies in unity and cohesion”, “A single motherland, one motherland” – are held regularly in Uzbekistan.

Rest, play leisure, recreation and cultural and artistic activities (art. 31)

278.With regard to the upbringing of children and young people, the State accords particular significance to the development of a moral, aesthetic, environmental and social culture, the assimilation of values and habits conducive to a healthy lifestyle, the strengthening of family relations, and the promotion of socialization, self-development and self-fulfilment.

279.In 2023–2017, 2,518 cultural and sports facilities for children were brought into operation or refurbished with State funds; they included 308 new sports facilities, 1,488 sports halls, 359 sports schools, 148 swimming pools and 301 schools for music and the arts.

280.In 2017, 8,600 sporting activities were conducted with the participation of 1.4 million pupils, of whom were 624,500 girls.

281.The Ministry of Education oversees 10,096 information-resource and library institutions, including 1,338 information-resource centres and 8,760 school libraries. The holdings of these libraries comprise 22,511,862 books: 16,248,845 literary works (72.2 per cent of the total); 3,310,269 textbooks (14.7 per cent); 2,203,342 political and economic works (9.8 per cent); and 749,379 reference works and dictionaries (3.4 per cent).

282.Numerous cultural and charitable activities are organized at libraries.

283.Large-scale events are regularly held for children, including the following: a competition entitled “I am studying the history of the mahalla”; “Heroes of the mahalla”, a national kurash (Uzbek wrestling) tournament; “Future of our football” and “Young rescuers” contests; a competition for children with disabilities entitled “A world of enchanting colours”; and sporting contests for residents of Muruvvat homes for children with disabilities.

284.The State is taking measures to develop tourism by children and families.

285.Trade unions organize rest and recuperation for around 300,000 children each year in the country’s children’s health camps.

286.In 2014–2017, trade unions arranged excursions to zoos, parks, puppet theatres and museums for 40,800 children from Mehribonlik homes, orphaned children, children with disabilities and children from low-income families and sightseeing trips to the country’s historic cities for 3,700 children, at a cost of 442.7 million sum. The children were given various gifts, worth 170.7 million sum. More than 1 million children, including 19,218 from the Aral Sea zone, 11,380 from Mehribonlik homes and 229,100 children from low-income families, stayed at children’s health camps for rehabilitation, and over 4,000 gifted children holidayed at such camps free of charge. A total of 12,088 mothers and their children stayed at trade union sanatoriums for rehabilitation, benefiting from concessionary rates through the use of “Mums and kids” vouchers.

Special protection measures (arts. 22, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37 (b)–(d) and 38–40)

Refugee children (art. 22)

287.Uzbekistan is characterized by a stable internal political situation and a lack of military, inter-ethnic or religious conflicts. Accordingly, no children are involved in armed conflicts.

288.In accordance with paragraph 204 of the State Programme for the Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests, a bill on labour migration has been prepared. The bill has been posted and discussed on the country’s interactive public services portal.

289.The bill provides for:

•The protection of the rights and freedoms of Uzbek citizens working abroad

•The introduction of a common procedure for job placement abroad

•Compensation for harm caused to the health of migrant workers

•The determination of a procedure for issuing licences for the placement of citizens in jobs abroad

290.Since the closure of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in the country in 2006, Uzbekistan has cooperated with UNHCR solely in the context of the events in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010. Contacts were limited to coordinating humanitarian assistance for refugees.

Children in street situations

291.The Prevention of Child Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency Act is focused on efforts to prevent child neglect and juvenile delinquency. It sets out the procedure for placing minors in specialized educational institutions and establishes liability for violations of the law by the bodies and institutions responsible for preventing child neglect and juvenile delinquency.

292.The internal affairs agencies carry out work to prevent child neglect and juvenile delinquency. The special units of the internal affairs agencies responsible for those tasks are the juvenile delinquency prevention units and the social and legal assistance centres for minors.

293.In accordance with the regulations on interdepartmental commissions on juvenile affairs, approved by Presidential Decision No. PP-2833 of 14 March 2017, the main tasks of the National Interdepartmental Commission to Prevent Offences and Combat Crime are as follows: to prevent neglect, homelessness, delinquency and other antisocial behaviour among minors, and to identify and eliminate the causes and conditions that contribute to those phenomena; to analyse the causes and conditions that contribute to neglect, homelessness, delinquency and other antisocial behaviour among minors; and to take measures to protect and restore the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of minors, and to identify and eliminate the causes and conditions that contribute to neglect, homelessness, delinquency and other antisocial behaviour among minors.

Child victims of exploitation, including measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration

Economic exploitation, including child labour (art. 32)

294.The Coordinating Council on Child Labour has been established to prevent the use of child labour. The Council’s main aim is to coordinate measures and unite the efforts of government bodies and civil society institutions to implement the national policy for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and to improve work in this area.

295.In order to prevent the use of child labour in rural areas, efforts are continuing to build the capacity of employers, farmers, staff of ministries and departments, chief administrators in municipalities and districts, heads of educational establishments, and chairs of local women’s committees and rural citizens’ assemblies.

296.Between 2014 and 2017, the country made significant progress in protecting children from forced labour. On 25 April 2014, a memorandum of understanding was concluded between Uzbekistan and ILO on a decent work country programme, namely, the Programme on Decent Work in Uzbekistan for the period 2014−2016, which includes measures to prohibit child labour and forced labour. On 28 February 2017, the Programme was extended to 2020.

297.On 27 May 2014, the Government adopted a decision on additional measures to implement the ILO conventions ratified by Uzbekistan over the period 2014−2016, pursuant to which a system of annual national surveys was introduced making use of the methodology and tools developed under the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), with a view to ensuring effective monitoring of compliance by individuals and legal entities with the prohibition on child labour and the provisions of the conventions on child labour ratified by Uzbekistan.

298.A plan was adopted containing comprehensive measures to be taken by the Coordinating Council on Child Labour in 2017 to implement the Programme on Decent Work in Uzbekistan, along with a set of technical measures for carrying out the recommendations of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations regarding the implementation by Uzbekistan of the ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105), and the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).

299.On 4 October 2017, the Senate, the upper house of the parliament, adopted a decision ratifying a set of measures to uphold the guaranteed labour rights of citizens in accordance with the law of Uzbekistan and international labour standards. The measures are designed to upgrade legislation, monitor the implementation of ILO conventions ratified by Uzbekistan and ensure cooperation with ILO and other international organizations in this area.

300.The Ministry of Education set up the 1006 helpline and an online help desk, vazir.uzedu.uz, for recording reports of child labour and forced labour. Information about these channels of communication with the Ministry has been communicated to every general education school.

301.Posters about the prohibition on the use of forced child labour are displayed in all general education establishments. These issues are widely discussed at parent-teacher meetings and during sessions with pupils at which the negative effects of the use of forced labour are explained.

302.The monitoring carried out by ILO and the World Bank from 2013 to 2017 did not lead to any findings of widespread use of child labour or forced labour during the cotton harvest.

303.In 2017, 18 minors were reported to have been present in the cotton fields, with 4 participating in the harvesting of cotton. Immediate action was taken on the cases identified.

304.A special plan of action to improve the working and employment conditions and social protection of agricultural workers for 2016–2018 has been adopted. Farmers have been educated about compliance with labour law when using the labour of persons under 18 years of age and adults (specifically on preventing forced labour and trafficking in persons).

305.On 27 September 2016, the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan posted an announcement in respect of forced labour on its portal (https://kasaba.uz), which stated: “If your labour rights are violated, call the helpline.”

Sale, trafficking and abduction (art. 35)

306.In Uzbekistan, the issue of trafficking in children has been integrated into the programmes and legislative acts on combating trafficking in persons.

307.In order to prevent trafficking in children and the commercial sexual exploitation of minors, including through prostitution, pornographic performances and the production of pornographic material, the relevant government bodies and civil society institutions regularly carry out awareness-raising activities among young people in educational establishments, paying special attention to those in children’s homes and residential schools. In particular, the internal affairs agencies, the procuratorial authorities, the Youth Union of Uzbekistan and the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan conduct more than 16,000 awareness-raising activities each year among the general public, young people and specialists working with children.

308.To raise public awareness of the dangers of offences related to trafficking in persons, in particular the sale of children, the internal affairs agencies, together with members of the National Interdepartmental Commission, have prepared and produced 545 television programmes and 710 radio broadcasts, as well as more than 1,105 articles and publications in various media and print outlets, newspapers and magazines, and 688 web publications, to ensure that these activities are publicized by the national media. Banners (842 items) have been produced and prominently displayed throughout the country and posters, booklets and leaflets (210,902 items) have been distributed on preventing the sale of children.

309.To prevent children from falling victim to various kinds of misfortune, risks and violence, including sexual violence, and to develop their safety skills, the Ministry of Education has developed and introduced into the curricula of general education schools special eight-hour programmes entitled “Everyday safety basics” for pupils in grades 1–4 and 5–7, as part of physical education and health classes, and for grades 8–9, as part of the “National idea and foundations of spirituality” course, among others.

310.Meetings, talks and sessions with representatives of law enforcement agencies and the commissions on juvenile affairs are held monthly in general education establishments with a view to preventing sexual violence against children.

311.The National Centre for Education of the Ministry of Education has prepared methodological recommendations for teachers of the “ABCs of the Constitution”, “Journey to the world of the Constitution” and “Foundations of the State and the law” courses on introducing into their lessons concepts directly related to trafficking in children, child prostitution and child pornography, taking into account the pupils’ ages and psychological characteristics.

312.Agendas for parent-teacher meetings held by general education establishments in cooperation with interested departments and organizations include issues connected with preventing trafficking in persons and increasing legal literacy among citizens travelling abroad and social and legal assistance for Uzbek victims of trafficking-related offences.

313.To raise young people’s awareness about safe Internet use, the NGO Istiqbolli Avlod has prepared training modules on the topic and conducted training sessions on the 10 rules of safe Internet use for pupils in educational establishments.

314.In the first 11 months of 2017, 279 criminal cases were brought under article 135 of the Criminal Code (Trafficking in persons), 66 of which involved the sale of children. In these cases, 344 persons were prosecuted, including 98 for offences related to the sale of children.

315.A study of the evidence gathered in the course of the investigations showed that the bulk of these offences, that is those related to the sale of children, were directly committed by the child’s own parents (66 offences or 67.3 per cent), with the participation of civil registry office staff (3 offences or 3.0 per cent), health workers (7 offences or 7.1 per cent) and other persons (22 offences or 22.4 per cent).

316.In a survey of persons who had committed offences related to the sale of children, it was found that, of 98 persons who had sold children, 58.1 per cent had done so for financial gain, 26.5 per cent to conceal another offence, 9.2 per cent because they were unable to support the child and 6.1 per cent for other reasons.

317.The overwhelming majority of cases in which children are sold involve the sale of newborns to persons who, for a number of reasons, have been unable to have their own children.

Number of recorded offences of indecent assault on a person aged under 16 years (Criminal Code, art. 129)

2014	2015	2016	First 11 months of 2017
75	67	60	68

Court cases involving trafficking in children (Criminal Code, art. 195)

2014	2015	2016	First 9 months of 2017
Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted	Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted	Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted	Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted
	698	379	521	382	542	225	297

Children in conflict with the law, child victims and witnesses of crime

Administration of juvenile justice (art. 40)

318.In Uzbekistan, juvenile justice is administered in special proceedings, the conduct of which is distinct from that of general criminal proceedings. This system is governed by certain provisions of the Criminal Code (sect. 6 (Special features with regard to liability of minors), arts. 81–90), the Code of Criminal Procedure (chap. 60 (Proceedings in cases involving offences committed by minors), arts. 547–564) and the Penalties Enforcement Code (chap. 34 (Use of coercive measures in respect of minors), arts. 195–197).

319.There are, however, systemic problems in the area of justice for children. In particular, there is no unified system for the administration of juvenile criminal justice – the juvenile justice system requires special laws, procedures, institutions, services and professionals working with children in conflict with the law. In accordance with the Committee’s recommendations, a juvenile justice bill has been prepared and is in the process of being finalized and harmonized.

320.Proposals have been prepared to amend the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to incorporate international standards for the protection of children’s rights in the justice system. Three interview rooms have been set up for child victims and witnesses of crime at the pretrial investigation stage and at the start of the case management process, when the situation of girls is assessed and individual plans are drawn up for working with them in specialized educational institutions.

321.There is a downward trend in juvenile crime in Uzbekistan, with 2,059 children having committed offences in 2016 compared with 2,528 in 2014. Minors account for approximately 2 per cent of all offenders. In the first quarter of 2018, 12.7 per cent of convicted minors received a criminal penalty of deprivation of liberty compared with 15.4 per cent in 2017 and 18 per cent in 2016. Such measures as suspended sentences, parole, amnesties and pardons are actively applied in respect of minors, according to experts.

Children deprived of their liberty (art. 37 (b)–(d))

322.As at January 2018, the Zangiata juvenile reformatory, the only such correctional facility, held some 50 young offenders.

323.The inmates’ detention conditions are in line with the standards set out in the Penalties Enforcement Code and are as close as possible to international standards.

324.The reformatory complex includes: residential buildings, a kitchen-dining room, a shop (kiosk), a general education school, vocational training buildings, a club, a library, a medical unit with an inpatient department, a bathhouse with a laundry room and a disinfection chamber, a barber’s, premises for storing bedding, work clothes, personal items for everyday use, and tools and supplies, workshops for repairing clothing and footwear, a boiler room, and toilets.

325.The cells in the disciplinary unit are not equipped as punishment cells because, under penalties enforcement legislation, young offenders may not be disciplined by being placed in such cells.

326.Inmates are accommodated in dormitories and provided with living space in accordance with the standards established in the Penalties Enforcement Code (at least 3 m2 per person in communal living areas). Each inmate is given an individual sleeping place.

327.Inmates are served three good-quality hot meals per day, in line with the standards established by the Government, and are provided with regulation clothing, underwear and footwear, as well as bedding. Their clothing and footwear are repaired free of charge in the reformatory’s workshop.

328.The shop (kiosk) sells food products and necessities and is open daily.

329.Inmates are provided with facilities for recreation, access to libraries, sports clubs and amateur activities.

330.Medical services are provided to inmates of penal institutions and their state of health is monitored under the procedure determined in legislation.

331.On arrival at penal institutions, convicted persons undergo a medical examination, the results of which are recorded in their medical outpatient records.

Sentencing of children, in particular the prohibition of capital punishment and life imprisonment (art. 37 (a))

332.Liability may be incurred by individuals who are mentally competent and have reached the age of 16 before the commission of an offence. Persons who have reached the age of 13 before the commission of an offence may be held liable only for aggravated homicide (art. 97 (2)). The Criminal Code stipulates the crimes for which persons who have reached the age of 14 before the commission of an offence may be prosecuted.

333.With the exception of the articles providing for liability for the commission of especially dangerous State crimes and other serious offences, there are alternative, non-custodial sentences for about half of all penalties that involve deprivation of liberty.

334.There follow statistical data on the number of court judgments handed down in respect of persons under the age of 18 and the types of sentence imposed on them (2014–2017):

2014	2015	2016	First 9 months of 2017
Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted	Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted	Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted	Number of criminal cases	Number of persons prosecuted
705	1 183	800	1 274	572	921	536	878

Supreme Court statistics on penalties imposed by the courts on persons aged under18 years (2014–2017)

Year	Fine	Unpaid labour	Short-term rigorous imprisonment	Deprivation of liberty	Suspended sentence	Restriction of liberty	Compulsory labour
2014	578	153	4	397	309	−	−
2015	637	641	−	170	323	2	1
2016	400	31	3	149	203	40	1
First 9 months of 2017	356	31	14	110	155	147	111

Physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration (art. 39)

335.Juvenile inmates are allowed telephone calls and short and long visits in accordance with the standards set out in the Penalties Enforcement Code.

336.Short visits of up to four hours are allowed with inmates’ relatives or other persons; these visits are monitored by staff of the facility’s administration. Visits with other persons are allowed if, in the opinion of the facility’s administration, they will not have an adverse effect on the inmate concerned.

337.Inmates are allowed to have long visits, during which they are entitled to stay with their close relatives within the complex of the facility.

338.At an inmate’s request, a long visit may be replaced with a short visit or a telephone conversation. It is not permitted to combine visits or to divide one visit into several telephone conversations.

339.As well as allowing regular visits on public holidays, the juvenile reformatory arranges parent-teacher meetings, during which inmates’ relatives have the opportunity to visit the facility and familiarize themselves with the detention conditions of juvenile offenders held there.

340.After release, juvenile offenders are sent to their parents or persons in loco parentis; in the absence of such persons, they are placed in residential institutions or under guardianship.

Educational programmes

341.Inmates are taught in schools on the basis of annual plans in various subjects, in the Russian and Uzbek languages, for a total of 24 hours per week. Before inmates are assigned to classes, an individual conversation is held with them and their abilities, education, ethnicity and other personal qualities and skills are analysed.

342.During the examination period, inmates studying in educational establishments are exempted from work in accordance with the procedure established in law. Final-year pupils receive a standard transcript allowing them to continue their education outside the reformatory after their release.

343.The educational process is supervised by the education departments of the local administrations and by the management of the correctional facilities.

344.In order to enhance the professional training of staff of the Central Penal Correction Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, skills upgrading and retraining courses are organized at the Ministry’s Academy.

345.Teachers working at general education schools in correctional facilities, together with teachers from regular schools, take advanced training courses according to the plan approved by the local education departments of the relevant municipalities and districts.

Children in armed conflicts (art. 38), including physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration (art. 39)

346.Uzbekistan has established the legal basis necessary to help prevent the involvement of children in armed conflict and protect them from the horrors of war and the infliction of physical or moral harm in a military context. According to data from the Military Procurator’s Office, there have been no reports of the involvement of children in armed conflicts and no criminal cases have been brought or heard in that regard.

347.Uzbekistan fully guarantees the implementation of the provisions of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict intended to ensure that members of the armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities and that persons who have not attained the age of 18 years are not compulsorily recruited into the Armed Forces. There have been no instances in the history of Uzbekistan of persons who have not attained the age of 18 being recruited for military service.

348.Legislative measures have been taken to prevent the recruitment for military service of persons under 18 years of age.

349.According to the Universal Military Duty and Military Service Act, universal military duty consists in compulsory military training to defend Uzbekistan and its purpose is to ensure that the Armed Forces are kept up to strength and their reservists trained (art. 2).

350.Military service may take the following forms: fixed-term military service; military service in the mobilization call-up reserve; military service under contract; and service in the reserves following military service in the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan.

351.As a rule, those called up for military service (fixed-term military service) are citizens between the ages of 18 and 23, as well as officers who have not previously performed active military service.

352.Citizens are assigned to recruiting stations, according to their place of residence, in the months of April to June of the year in which they reach the age of 16, at recruiting points established by the district and municipal defence authorities. Commissions, with a membership that includes representatives of the defence authorities and medical specialists, are set up in the districts and municipalities for assigning citizens to recruiting stations.

353.Citizens assigned to recruiting stations are medically examined by a panel of physicians, including a surgeon, a general practitioner, a neuropathologist, a psychiatrist, an oculist, an otolaryngologist, a stomatologist and, if necessary, specialists in other fields.

354.Every year, at the times specified by the Ministry of Defence, enterprises, institutions, organizations and citizens’ self-governance bodies responsible for maintaining the register of persons liable for military duty or conscription provide the appropriate district and municipal defence authorities with lists of citizens subject to assignment to recruiting stations.

355.Recruits are issued with an assignment certificate, and their rights and duties and the procedures for military registration and training for military service are explained. From the time of assignment citizens are enrolled in the military register.

356.Citizens are called up for fixed-term military service and service in the mobilization call-up reserve once a year – in the months of February and March – pursuant to a presidential decision; the decision is published in the media no later than one month before the beginning of the call-up.

357.The number of persons who received deferments or exemptions from military service in 2014–2017 was as follows:

	2014	2015	2016	2017
Total number of persons	1 238 487	1 256 696	1 225 894	1 178 355
For family reasons	2 412	2 549	2 442	1 987
For health reasons	538 749	690 917	675 523	649 657
To continue their education	697 326	563 230	547 929	526 711

358.Citizens who are called up for or who enter military service receive severance pay from their employer as provided by law.

359.Citizens between 18 and 27 years of age enrolled in the military register and liable for conscription have the right to alternative service if they are members of registered religious organizations whose dogma forbids the use of arms and service in the Armed Forces. The period of alternative service is 24 months, or 18 months for citizens with higher education. Citizens are called up for alternative service in accordance with the procedure established for those called up for fixed-term military service.

360.In Uzbekistan, voluntary recruitment for military service of persons under 18 years of age does not occur. In accordance with the Universal Military Duty and Military Service Act, voluntary military service is performed only under contract.

361.The law prohibits the establishment of non-State armed groups that are not part of the State’s Armed Forces and makes it a criminal offence to recruit persons to such groups or to military agencies of foreign States.

362.Liability is established in the Criminal Code for the recruitment, training, financing or provision of other material support to mercenaries, as well as for the use of mercenaries in armed conflicts or hostilities. These acts are punishable by 7 to 12 years’ imprisonment.

363.Uzbekistan is not an arms-exporting State. Pursuant to the country’s foreign policy framework, political, economic and other measures are taken to prevent the involvement of Uzbekistan in armed conflicts.

364.Every effort is made to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. At the international regional level (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) and on the basis of inter-State agreements, steps have been taken to assist in the prosecution of individuals involved in the recruitment of persons, including children, to take part in hostilities.

365.In order to prevent the recruitment of Uzbek citizens for service in agencies of foreign States, the law provides for forfeiture of citizenship where a person enters military service or service in the security agencies, police, justice system or other executive or administrative bodies of a foreign State, or causes significant harm to the interests of society and the State by engaging in activities to benefit a foreign State or by committing a crime against peace and security.