The Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan on 18 August approved amendments to the legislation strengthening the protection of the children’s rights.
The amendments, among other things, aim to protect children from unlawful religious instruction and to strengthen the parents' responsibility to fulfill their obligations before their children, the Senate press service said.
The Article 47 of the Code of administrative responsibility (failure to fulfill obligations to raise and educate children) is supplemented with sanctions for the unlawful involvement of a child in religious education by parents or in loco parentis.
The fine for this violation will male up 10 to 15 basic calculation values (3.4 mln to 5.1 mln soums, or $270 to $404). If the same offense occurs within one year after the administrative penalty is imposed, a fine of 15 to 25 BCV (5.1 mln to 8.5 mln soums, or $404 to $674), or administrative arrest for up to 15 days is applied.
“In recent years, there has been an increase of cases when parents illegally send their children for religious instruction to hujra (cells), unofficial learning centers or to persons without a permit and license to teach. During 2021−2023, 2,457 administrative violations related to illegal religious education were identified, of which 1,479 cases involved education in hujra. Approximately 60% of the students were minors, which is very worrying,” senator Farakhat Sadullayeva said in her speech.
According to the senator, the number of minors held responsible for crimes related to religious extremism and terrorism has quadrupled in the last three years.
Children who enter illegal religious educational institutions are not only at risk of radicalization, but also become victims of physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as restricted freedom of movement, Farakhat Sadullayeva stressed.
