Interior Ministry of Uzbekistan has issued a warning to parents regarding the “subculture called quadrobics”, where young people use accessories, such as animal masks and tails, to imitate animal behavior.
“This phenomenon has been observed among young people in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. Unfortunately, similar unacceptable behavior has also been noted in the city of Tashkent,” the statement said.
According to the ministry, on 10 October, a person with an animal mask was seen in public, and on 11 October, another “quadrober” dressed as a dog allegedly attacked passengers, leaving a child who witnessed the incident “very frightened”.
“Such actions violate public behavior norms and are entirely unacceptable. Specialists warn that quadrobics could lead to children’s adopting aggressive animal-like behavior, potentially causing harm to themselves and others. It also risks damaging the child’s developing psyche and could result in social isolation,” Interior Ministry said.
The ministry referenced article 77 of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, which states that parents are obliged to take care of their children until they reach the age of majority, ensuring their upbringing, education, healthy, full and comprehensive development. Under the law “On education”, parents are responsible for the educational, physical, mental and spiritual growth of their children. In addition, parents must raise their children with values such as humanism, patriotism, hard work and respect for spiritual, national and universal ideals, the statement said.
“As one of the bodies responsible for safeguarding children’s rights, the ministry stresses that manifestations of such subculture will be regarded as failure of parents to fulfill their obligations,” the statement minitry. Under the Code of Administrative Responsibility, parents who neglect their duties can face a fine of up to 5 basic calculation units, or approximately up to $146.
Additionally, the ministry noted that “if necessary, a special psychological examination could be conducted to assess how „quadrobics“ impacts a child’s mental and emotional health. These evaluations would be done confidentially and with methods designed not to isolate or discriminate against the child”.
“Interior Ministry urges parents to fulfill their moral and legal responsibilities to provide their children with a proper upbringing,” the statement concluded.
Some social media users and influencers criticized the statement, saying there were much more important problems that need to be urgently addressed, like daily deadly crashes on roads or frequent cases of violence against women and children. At the same time, some commenters welcomed the statement, saying children have to be protected from negative influence of “quadrobics”.
